Big Win for Nepal’s Pokhara Valley

Phewa Lake in Nepal’s Pokhara Valley is famous for its stunning reflection of  majestic peaks in the Annapurna Himalayas. We are thrilled to report that ELAW partners at the Kathmandu-based Pro Public have saved this natural wonder from a private company’s scheme to operate a cable car from Basundhara Park at Lakeside to the World Peace Pagoda at Pumdibhumdi.
 
“It would have destroyed the scenic beauty of Phewa Lake and the mountain reflection,” says Prakash Mani Sharma, Pro Public Director. “Trees needed to be felled and it would have destroyed the habitat of butterflies and birds.”
 
Nepal’s Supreme Court shelved the project on Sunday. 

ELAW’s law and science teams collaborated with Pro Public, providing  materials showing how construction would cause landslides and how tectonic activity threatened the entire operation. ELAW also provided peer-reviewed studies showing that cable cars can reduce tourism revenue by destroying the natural beauty that draws the tourists.

“Support from ELAW, as well as Carol Inskipp and Dr. Hem Sagar Baral, was instrumental in winning the case,” says Prakash.
 
Congratulations Pro Public!
 
For more information about ELAW’s work in Nepal and around the world, please contact:
 
Maggie Keenan
ELAW Communications Director
maggie@elaw.org

Learn more about our work and how you can support ELAW by visiting our website, Facebook, and Twitter.