Beneath the hills where dawn first breaks,
Where morning mist the mountains wakes,
A river flows through ancient land,
With stories written upon its sand.
From sacred heights its waters run,
Beneath the moon, beneath the sun,
Through Kathmandu, both old and new,
The Bagmati carries a thousand stories through.
Oh, Bagmati, river of grace,
A living treasure of this place,
You’ve watched our fathers come and go,
You’ve seen the city’s beauty grow.
You’ve heard the prayers, the temple bells,
The stories that the valley tells,
Yet now your waters cry in pain,
Beneath the rubbish and the rain.
Save the Bagmati, hear its call,
A river belongs to one and all.
Let clean waters freely flow,
Restore the beauty we used to know.
Don’t let another generation see
A dying river where life should be.
Raise your voice, take a stand,
Protect the river, protect our land.
Once you danced through fields of green,
A beautiful sight, a peaceful scene.
Your waters sparkled in the light,
Reflecting stars throughout the night.
Fishermen watched your currents flow,
And children played where breezes blow.
The birds would gather by your side,
While nature flourished with the tide.
But look at you, beloved stream,
Far from the beauty of our dream.
Plastic bottles line your shore,
And polluted water flows once more.
The careless hands that throw away
Are stealing tomorrow, day by day.
The drains discharge their poisoned streams,
Destroying life and shattering dreams.
Where are the fish that used to swim?
Where are the flowers along your rim?
Where are the birds that once would sing,
And celebrate the joy of spring?
The riverbed remembers all,
Each careless act, each plastic fall.
And though the water cannot speak,
Its silent suffering grows each week.
Oh, Kathmandu, can you not see?
This river is part of your identity.
Your temples stand beside its flow,
Your ancient culture lives below.
From Pashupatinath’s sacred ground,
Where prayers and blessings gather round,
To every village, bridge and street,
The Bagmati makes our valley complete.
A holy river should not be
A place of waste and misery.
Faith is more than words we say,
It lives in how we act each day.
What worth are prayers beside the shore,
If we keep polluting it once more?
True devotion must begin
By keeping sacred waters clean.
Save the Bagmati, hear its call,
A river belongs to one and all.
Let clean waters freely flow,
Restore the beauty we used to know.
Don’t let another generation see
A dying river where life should be.
Raise your voice, take a stand,
Protect the river, protect our land.
We cannot blame the rain alone,
Or say the damage is overgrown.
We cannot point to someone else,
While rubbish gathers by ourselves.
The change must start with you and me,
With simple acts and responsibility.
Put every bottle in its place,
Don’t turn the river to a waste-filled space.
Reduce the plastic that we use,
Choose cleaner habits, better views.
Keep every riverbank free from waste,
There’s no excuse for careless haste.
Let factories treat the water right,
Let laws protect the river’s might.
Let local leaders take their stand,
And bring restoration to this land.
Let communities unite as one,
Until the work is truly done.
Let schools teach children everywhere
That rivers need our love and care.
We need more trees along your side,
To help your natural beauty thrive.
We need clean drains and proper plans,
And willing hearts and helping hands.
We need to stop the toxic flow,
And give the river room to grow.
Not just campaigns that disappear,
But lasting action year by year.
Imagine one day, years from now,
A cleaner river beneath the bough.
The water moving, fresh and clear,
With wildlife returning year by year.
The children playing by the shore,
With no plastic rubbish any more.
The fishermen casting nets once again,
As life returns with gentle rain.
Imagine visitors stopping by,
Beneath a bright and open sky.
A river walk where families meet,
With gardens growing along the street.
The temple bells ring through the air,
And people breathe a cleaner atmosphere.
The Bagmati shines in morning light,
A symbol of a future bright.
But dreams alone will never do,
Unless our actions make them true.
A river cannot heal overnight,
It needs our courage, care and might.
Each little effort, every day,
Can help to wash the harm away.
One clean-up, one tree, one changed routine,
Can bring a future fresh and green.
To every child who walks this land,
The future rests within your hand.
You may be young, but you can lead,
By showing others what rivers need.
Tell your friends and family too,
That saving Bagmati starts with you.
For every action, large or small,
Can help protect this gift for all.
And to the people who have tried,
Who clean the banks with hope and pride,
Who give their time, who plant a tree,
Who fight for water’s liberty,
Your efforts matter more than gold,
Your story must be proudly told.
For every hand that helps restore
Brings hope to this forgotten shore.
Oh, Bagmati, we owe you more
Than empty promises made before.
You carried generations through,
And still you ask for something true.
Not wealth, not fame, not grand display,
Just let your waters live one day
Without the poison, without the waste,
Without the damage we create.
Let this become our solemn vow,
Not someday later, but starting now.
Let every street and household know,
The river’s health is our own.
For when the river begins to die,
The whole valley loses something inside.
And when its waters rise again,
Hope will flow through every lane.
So save the Bagmati, let it breathe,
Give back the life beneath its stream.
Let mountains send their waters down,
Through a cleaner, greener town.
Let future generations proudly say,
“We saved our river along the way.”
For Bagmati is not merely water,
Not just a river passing by.
It is the heartbeat of a valley,
A living memory beneath the sky.
And if we lose its flowing grace,
We lose a part of our own place.
So let our promise forever be:
A cleaner river, a greener land,
A brighter future, hand in hand.
No more excuses, no more delay,
SAVE THE BAGMATI — START TODAY!
