Although over 180 freshwater fish species have been reported from Nepal, little is known of their ecology and distribution. This information is needed because their diversity may be threatened by developments like hydropower constructions. We conducted Nepal’s first environmental DNA (eDNA) based fish biodiversity assessment in two major river systems- Karnali River (KR), which is still pristine and Trishuli River (TR) with numerous hydropower plants.

• Conservation geneticist Adarsh Man Sherchan is one of the leading experts keeping track of the impacts that Nepal’s dozens of dams are having on freshwater species.
• The Himalayan country has more than 120 hydroelectricity plants, many of which were built without prior aquatic biodiversity assessments.
• With advances in assessment technologies, notably environmental DNA (eDNA), and a growing cohort of trained experts like Sherchan, there’s a greater focus on identifying and mitigating the impacts of dams on river life.

Bagmati’s wastewater is perhaps the largest biological threat to public health in Kathmandu and as Covid-19 has shown, threats to public health affect everyone.

A grave concern is rising among the scientific community worldwide. Its origin is biological; it circulates and regenerates in the environment and grows in amplified strength due to unregulated human behavior. The Covid-19 pandemic will pale in comparison if we do not act to curb this looming threat on time. This rising threat is Antimicrobial Resistance and the motherload of its threat is deposited in our rivers. For Kathmandu, the biggest source is the Bagmati river.