Nepal, May 9 -- The first phase of evacuating unplanned and vulnerable settlements on the banks of the Bagamati River and its tributaries has been completed in the Kathmandu Valley.

Such settlements had occupied government and public lands. The first round of the evacuation has now concluded. The drive to remove the settlements was jointly launched by the Kathmandu Metropolis, Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, High-Powered Bagamati Civilisation Integrated Development Committee and the District Administration Office, Kathmandu. It was launched on April 25.

According to the DAO Kathmandu, during the campaign, a total of 2,687 structures (houses and huts) built on the government and public lands were removed. The drive, which began...