It is a matter of national shame to have Kathmandu on the Unesco list of endangered heritage sites. After seven sites were identified in 1979, the entire Valley was put on the world heritage list so residents would feel more included and responsible for their protection. More than two decades later the picture is very different from what the Unesco hoped for. Unchecked urbanisation since 1990 has taken a toll on the sites.

Following the change in national politics, the leaders at the helm of the parties ignored the precedents set by the Department of Archaeology (DoA), which is responsible for the protection of heritage sites. It even caved in to pressure from Boudha residents who refused to dismantle buildings constructed against Unesco standards.

The United Nations body repeatedly warned the Nepali government to urgently implement separate workplans for more sensitive sites like Boudha, Hanumandhoka and Patan to stop illegal construction. Three years ago the DoA announced a plan to categorise houses built around heritage sites. It hasn't materialised so far, although a year later, it did blacklist a few constructions for disobeying building codes. This was a mere slap on the wrist as nothing further was done. Later, a committee chaired by the prime minister was also proposed to tackle the problem of illegal construction but it never saw the light of day.

Hints of what might happen were dropped at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Helsinki last year. Immediately after, a three-member team of experts visited Kathmandu and met with political leaders, government officers and the media. They examined the reasons for physical and cultural deterioration and recommended immediate protective actions. The government did not take heed.

And this is how we find ourselves on the endangered list. All of us, both the government and citizens, have a hand in this failure. Our inability to take care of what is our shared heritage will probably lead to the arrival of international teams to step in. To get Kathmandu off that list is a huge challenge. It requires an enormous amount of political commitment, bureaucratic determination, human resources, the involvement of local bodies and the general public.