Waste management becomes more complex in Janakpurdham

By Laxmi Chaudhary, Janakpurdham, June 20: Even three years after the local election, the waste management issue in Janakpurdham, which was a top priority during the election campaign, remains unresolved.

Manoj Kumar Sah, Mayor of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City, had pledged to prioritise the complex issue of waste management when he was elected as an independent candidate in the 2022 local elections. 

He had also committed to generating income from waste and producing compost. However, even in the third year of his tenure, he has not been able to fulfil these commitments. At that time, he had criticised previous representatives for their inability to address the waste issue, but he too has not been able to meet his election commitments in his third year. After being elected, Mayor Sah added new cleaning staff and vehicles for waste management. Despite these additions, the situation of waste in Janakpurdham remains unchanged. The newly purchased vehicles and hired cleaning staff have not collected waste beyond the main market, squares, and streets.

The roads in Janakpurdham have widened, concrete and tiles have been installed around ponds in the name of beautification, and occasional cleaning campaigns are conducted, including photo sessions. 

However, waste management has not been improved. Residents continue to throw waste in old ponds, nearby ditches, and vacant lands. They said, “The sub-metropolis has not provided any basis for waste management, so we throw waste wherever it is convenient, wherever we find a space.”

The sub-metropolitan claims to have launched cleaning campaigns added cleaning staff, and purchased new vehicles for waste collection, but residents said no vehicle had come to collect waste, nor had they received any information.

Mayor Sah blamed the Central Guthi Corporation for hindering waste management in Janakpurdham by not providing land to the sub-metropolis. He said, “The Central Guthi Corporation has not provided land for waste management, which has prevented the resolution of the waste management issue.” 

He also said that despite writing to the corporation over a year ago requesting land for waste management, the corporation has not provided it.

Chief Sah said, “We have even campaigned against indiscriminate waste disposal, visited every shop, and requested cooperation, but the residents have not supported us.”

He also said that keeping the city clean was the responsibility of all residents, not just that of the sub-metropolis, and that every citizen must take responsibility for waste management to achieve cleanliness and beauty.

For waste management, the sub-metropolis now plans to work in a public-private partnership, calling tenders for private entities with land, and selecting qualified companies. Last year, tenders were called but no qualified companies applied, leading to the suspension of the process.

Despite calling Janakpurdham a religious tourist city, it risks becoming known as a dirty city. Tourists come here only for Janaki Temple, as the roads, and ponds are filthy, and mosquito-infested, making it undesirable to stay.

The cleaning campaigns involve the police, army, armed police, municipal police, cleaning staff, and activists, yet Janakpurdham remains dirty. Despite the presence of youth clubs and activists, the capital of Madhes Province, Janakpurdham, still struggles with waste management.

The sub-metropolis spends over Rs. 10 million annually on fuel for waste management, employs over 125 contract cleaning staff and operates more than 25 waste collection vehicles. Despite these efforts, waste management has not been achieved.

The streets and open areas are filled with waste. Even old waste dumps are not cleaned, raising concerns about when new waste dumps will be found.