Nepal River Conservation Trust, NRCT

The Nepal River Conservation Trust (NRCT) is a non-profit organization formed in order to restore, conserve and protect the rivers of Nepal through positive action and education along with maintaining the cultural integrity of local riverside communities. It was established by a group of concerned river guides who recognized the alarming rate of ecological and cultural damage that was taking place on the rivers of Nepal. Located amidst the hustle and bustle of the Thamel area in Kathmandu, The Nepal River Conservation Trust is one of its kinds working with dedication for the conservation of the Himalayan Rivers of Nepal.



It has been working for the conservation of Nepal’s Himalayan river system preserving Nepal’s cultural heritage and developing environmentally responsible river tourism industry since its inception in 1995. It has been organizing various events, activities and awareness camps at the various places in Nepal to aware people regarding the degrading condition of the rivers in Nepal and for the need of their conservation. To raise awareness among all river users about the need to conserve the river and develop an economical and environmentally sustainable river tourism industry, it also hosts the Annual River Festival and the Bagmati River Festival. It aims to conserve and preserve our Himalayan Rivers that, despite of being huge international attraction, are under threat from damming and other unfriendly environmental practices.

The objectives of NRCT are as follows:

For rivers,

–          Increasing public awareness through workshops, seminars and special rafting trips to policy makers, journalists, students and other stakeholders.

–          Development of the riverside community.

–          River-guide training on environmentally sound rafting and camping practices.

–          Conducting river restoration projects such as beach cleanup and tree plantation.

–          Networking with national and international groups and lobbying on the behalf of Nepal’s river environment, etc.

For our communities,

–          To identify and develop riverside conservation and community projects.

–          To educate village communities about the causes and effects on river due to water pollution and degradation.

–          To raise awareness for conservation and community projects along the rivers.

–          To ensure that the community alongside the river benefits directly from income generating activities.

For the natural environment,

–          To maintain and enhance the natural environment alongside the rivers.

–          To promote and implement conservation activities on Nepalese rivers.

–          To endeavor to find an ecological balance between human needs and wants and the frail river ecosystems.

For rafting industry,

–          To promote sensible and ecologically sustainable rafting, kayaking and cannoning practices for Nepalese rivers.

–          To work with partner organization of similar interest for the benefit of the rivers, river communities and rafting industry.

In short, NRCT aims to extend its conservation and preservation activities to the international arena to improve and sustain the river conservation programs in Nepal. It also seeks for the affiliation with the Nepal Rafting Agencies as it believes that it is important for all the agencies to have a common goal of conservation and protection of rivers from destruction.

For further information regarding the organization and its activities, you can go to their website http://www.nepalrivers.org or you can email them at nrct@wlink.com.np or nepalrivers@gmail.com .