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Garbage still on the streets
KATHMANDU, APR 01 -
The removal of garbage piling on the streets of Kathmandu remains uncertain after the local struggle committee did not attend the meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday.
Garbage collection was halted for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday with locals living near the Aletar dumping site in Nuwakot continuing with their protests.
The locals have put forth 22 demands, which include employment to the dumping site affected people, construction of roads, construction of drinking water supply systems, and building of health posts.
“Most of their demands have been fulfilled and other demands were under consideration,” said Direndra Oli, legal officer of Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre.
According to Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), this is the 59th time that garbage disposal has been obstructed since June 5, 2005, and at least 850 tonnes of garbage await disposal on the streets of the Capital.
The Aletar landfill site has been in operation for the last nine months after the Sisdol landfill site was full.
“We went to negotiate with the locals at Okharpauwa but the locals are not ready to understand anything,” said Rabinman Shrestha, a senior official at the Environment Management Department of KMC. Shrestha said, “Locals form a group consisting of three or four members and come up with different demands every time to obstruct waste disposal, which has made it difficult for the government to fulfill their demands.”
According to KMC, nearly Rs.100 million has been invested so far towards the development of the Okharpauwa landfill site over the last five years.
Oli said a “trend” of obstructing waste disposal has developed among the locals of landfill sites to pressurise the government to meet their demands. He said the government is coming up with a master plan within this fiscal year to develop the area. “We hope the problem will not arise again with the implementation of the master plan,” Oli added.
The government is also planning to develop Banchareydanda between Nuwakot and Dhading as a long-term solution for disposing the Valley’s waste. Once ready, the garbage produced in the capital can be dumped there for at least another 30 years.
Posted on: 2010-04-02 07:30
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