Dam project threatens Kathmandu pangolins

A proposed dam on Kathmandu’s northeastern ridge would flood nearly 100 hectares tied to Chinese pangolin habitat inside Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. (mongabay.com) The new study, published in *Ecology and Evolution*, mapped 67 pangolin burrows across 101 survey grids in the park and estimated the Nagmati Dam would inundate 25 hectares of prime habitat plus 65.304 hectares within likely home ranges and foraging areas. (researchgate.net) Chinese pangolins are listed as Critically Endangered, and the study said the dam’s environmental impact assessment did not identify impacts on pangolins or propose mitigation measures for construction. (researchgate.net) The project is designed as a 95-meter dam on the Nagmati stream, with storage of more than 8 billion liters of water to capture monsoon runoff and release it in the dry season. Officials say that would help flush the Bagmati River past Pashupatinath and other temple sites, ease Kathmandu’s water shortages and generate electricity. (mongabay.com; mongabay.com) Nepal’s government endorsed the project in 2024, but construction had not started as of April 2026. The dam is part of the Bagmati River Basin Improvement Project, according to the official environmental impact assessment submitted through the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation. (mongabay.com; dhapdam.gov.np) The site sits near Mulkharka, a Tamang settlement inside the park, where residents said they first learned detailed plans in July 2023 at a monastery meeting. Some residents said officials described roads, business and income, but not displacement, forest loss or safety risks. (mongabay.com) Critics of the project have also pointed to estimates that more than 80,000 trees could be cut and warned about erosion, wildlife displacement and flood risk if a dam failure sent water downstream toward Kathmandu. Engineers and project backers, by contrast, have described Nagmati as a practical way to improve dry-season flow in the Bagmati. (mongabay.com; risingnepaldaily.com) The ridge matters beyond one species because Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park is a water recharge area for Kathmandu and the source region for the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers. The April 2026 study said habitat specialists like pangolins can be hit hard by even limited flooding because they use small, specific ranges. (mongabay.com; researchgate.net) The researchers did not argue against water planning in Kathmandu altogether. They called for a fuller reassessment of the dam’s environmental costs before work begins, with pangolins back at the center of the map. (researchgate.net)