With the start of Tihar, Nepal's annual festival celebrating flowers and lights, markets across the country are now teeming with banned plastic flowers. These artificial blooms are overshadowing natural flowers, causing concern among authorities and citizens alike.
Nepal's government has placed a nationwide ban on the production, import, and sale of plastic flower garlands. However, major cities, including Kathmandu, Birgunj, Hetauda, Janakpur, Biratnagar, Butwal, and Nepalgunj, continue to display plastic flowers prominently in shops. This has led several municipalities to issue notices and warnings, aiming to enforce the regulation.
In Kathmandu, the city government issued a statement on Thursday declaring strict measures against plastic and plastic flower garlands. The notice announced a ban on single-use plastic items, plastic flower garlands, and plastic bags thinner than 40 microns. Violators face penalties, including fines of up to Rs 50,000, based on the scale of the offense.
Read more at Online Khabar
Bhaktapur's floral industry blooms ahead of Tihar
In Gundu, Suryabinayak Municipality-7, Bhaktapur, however, floral sales are booming. Farmers are hard at work cultivating and harvesting velvet flowers. Renowned for their vibrant hues and velvety texture, these flowers are a key component of Tihar celebrations.
Tathali and Gundu are particularly famous for their velvet flower production. Farmers in these areas have been cultivating hundreds of these flowers, which are used to create beautiful garlands. In addition to garlands, loose velvet flowers and hundred-petal marigold flowers are also sold in abundance during this festive season.
Read more at Ditible.