Paddy fields flooded with wastes in Urlabari

By Our Correspondent

Urlabari, Aug 9 : The wastes disposed of by Urlabari Municipality in Morang district have flooded the paddy fields of the farmers in Ward No.8.

The municipality has given the responsibility of managing waste to Jai Shree Pathibhara Environment Care Pvt. Ltd. which has been dumping the city’s waste on the bank of the Bakraha River.

Recent floods in the river carried the waste from its bank to the farmland. The disposal of waste on the river bank has polluted the river, because of which plastics, glasses, empty bottles, and other things can be seen floating on the river. 

Locals have said that the wastes have been disposed of in the river for the last four years, and the farmers who irrigate their farms with the water of the river have been hit hardest.  

Bishnu Prasad Niraula, chairman of local Khaireni, Durgapuri, Gagate, Sakhuwani, and Rateholi Irrigation Water Consumer Organisation, said that the farmers were unable to enter their paddy fields for maintenance works. Bottles, pieces of glasses and plastic, and pads from the hospitals had entered the fields. The municipality had not addressed their problems, he said.

Water from the river is used to irrigate 1,500 hectares of land in Urlabari. 

Netra Ghimire, the operator of the company, said that the waste entered the river as a result of natural disasters. 

He said that they have been managing the waste by taking it to his private farm and that the river was eroding its bank mixing waste into the river every day.  

Before 2019, the municipality used to dump waste on its own land located in Urlabari-3. However, after the land on the Bakraha River bank was eroded after a flood, the municipality entrusted Jai Shri Pathibhara with the task of waste management on April 4, 2019.  Two tractors of the municipality dump waste on the banks of the river four to five times a day. Ghimire said that the company had arranged two bighas of land for waste disposal. 

Bharat Adhikari, information officer of the municipality, said that the municipality has signed a contract with Jai Shri Pathibhara for five years for waste management.

According to him, the contract will expire on April 2, 2024. Jai Shri Pathibhara has also hired two tractors from the municipality. 

Logistic Branch head Nagendra Prasad Timsina of the municipality said that the company was awarded the contract for waste management on the condition of depositing 10 percent of the amount collected from the service recipients in the municipality’s bank account. Timsina, however, said that he had no information on the annual income generated from waste management.