Janakpurdham lacks waste management plan

By Laxmi Chaudhary, Janakpurdham, Mar. 27: The capital of Madhes Province, Janakpurdham, is experiencing rapid population growth and urbanisation. With the expansion of dense settlements, the city has seen wider roads, beautification of historical ponds, installation of colourful lights at Janaki Temple and construction of large hotels and rest houses, all contributing to increasing tourist activities.

However, the main challenge faced by Janakpurdham Sub-metropolitan City is the lack of a long-term solution for waste management. Without proper collection, sorting and recycling systems for the solid waste generated daily within the city, environmental and health issues have been growing. Uncontrolled dumping of waste in open spaces, along pond edges, beside roads and residential areas has posed a serious public health risk.

Currently, the Sub-metropolitan City is making temporary efforts to collect and manage waste but a comprehensive long-term solution remains missing. Waste management was one of the key electoral promises made by Janakpurdham’s Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah in the 2022 local level elections. However, even after three years, the municipality has not introduced any concrete plan to manage the city waste.

Due to scorching heat in the summer, garbage throws to unpleasant stench and increases risks of the spread of mosquitoes and diseases. The tendency to indiscriminately dump waste in various squares, intersections, vacant land and along riversides is increasing. Religious tourists, too, have expressed dissatisfaction with the poor cleanliness of the ancient city.

Even during the tenure of former Mayor Lal Kishore Sah, efforts were made to address waste management, but long-term solutions were never achieved.

Shyam Thakur, the head of the sanitation department, said, “We have 21 tractors, eight tipper trucks and two garbage trucks, but they are not sufficient.” The search for land for a proper dumping site is ongoing, but legal processes and issues with acquiring land are delaying the progress. Currently, temporary arrangements are being made by renting land in rural areas. Thakur explained that the municipality had previously been dumping waste in a pond in Ward 19 at Bega and is now doing so near an irrigation dam in Ward 12.

Locals and businesses have become frustrated due to the municipality's negligence regarding waste management. Local trader Baijnath Sah said, “Tourists are shocked to see the city littered with garbage. A special plan is needed to keep this religious city clean.” Kachan Karan from Janakpurdham-4 added, “The waste in our neighbourhood remains uncollected for weeks. During the rainy season, the stench emanating from the garbage heaps and mosquitoes  breeding in them make life unbearable.”

Municipality spokesperson Prabesh Jha noted, “We are facing a shortage of land for waste management, and it will be difficult to manage the waste permanently until we acquire land. We have requested land from the central trust for a landfill site, but we have not received a response yet.”

Similarly, Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah said that since the trust has not provided land, the municipality is now preparing to move forward with a public-private partnership model to manage waste in the long term. “The responsibility for waste management also lies with citizens. They need to be more conscious. The municipality has already caught people who indiscriminately dump waste on the streets,” Sah stated.

Not only the municipality but also locals and civil society must adopt awareness. Environmental activists have said, “Waste management is not just the responsibility of the municipality. If everyone sorts and manages waste from their homes, it will make the solution much easier.”

Previously, the Earth Clean Green Foundation arranged a landfill site and modern machinery for waste management in Janakpurdham at a cost of millions of rupees. However, the municipality did not cooperate with the foundation. 

Dip Thakur, the foundation’s president, expressed, “We have a long-term plan for waste management, but both the previous and current mayors have ignored it. This negligence has led to severe waste problems.” Thakur added, “We have the plans, technical team and machinery, and we even own the land, but the municipality has not considered our plan.”

Despite continuous efforts to raise the issue of waste management, the local government has not responded, Thakur lamented. To establish Janakpurdham as a clean, green and well-managed tourist destination, modern waste management systems, recycling centres and awareness campaigns need to be implemented.