Proper Waste Management

Every day, Kathmandu Valley generates 1200-1600 metric tonnes of solid waste, of which 60 per cent originates in Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) alone. Compared to Sisdole landfill site, Bancharadanda is better managed and farther from the settlement, but it still operates as an open dumping site with no segregation at source. Waste is dumped directly in the open, leading to an unbearable stench, soil and water pollution, and ecosystem disruption in the area. 

Some 200 people living near Banchardanda, mostly migrants from Rasuwa and Nuwakot, earn their livelihood by picking things from the garbage heap. They say they earn up to Rs. 2500 a day. These individuals are susceptible to infectious diseases and long-term health risks, although the whole area battles with health issues emerging from the dumping site. Locals time and again obstruct the trucks reaching Bancharadnada, demanding compensation, infrastructure development and health services. There are many instances where the confrontation of Bancharedanda residents with KMC leads to the piling up of garbage in the Valley. Over 70 per cent of the waste that Kathmandu Valley produces is organic waste. 

One of the prominent electoral promises of the then KMC Mayor and Prime Minister Balendra Shah was the proper management of Kathmandu waste. In the initial days, the Valley dwellers used to segregate waste at home into degradable and non-degradable before being picked up by garbage trucks. Later on, that rule of segregation at the source was no longer enforced. Proper segregation of waste alone can significantly reduce the amount of waste. The KMC has planned to establish a waste transfer centre in its own area with modern technology to promote segregation, reuse and recycling. However, it has been facing difficulty in acquiring land and bringing new technology, as the local government alone doesn't have the right to do so. 

The KMC needs to adopt more scientific and sustainable waste management practices. Proper covering (capping) of solid waste with soil, proper treatment of leachate and odour control are also a must. When waste management is properly carried out, the waste can be turned into compost, energy and recyclable materials. Currently, the KMC supports 56 teachers, health posts, compensation and infrastructure in the area. Despite all these endeavours, KMC should opt for a more sustainable waste management model. 

The KMC plans to run the transfer centre with modern technology where 80 per cent of the waste will come in for reuse and recycling. So the the federal government must support the KMC, as this was the dream project of PM Shah. KMC would opt for more sustainable and scientific waste management. Likewise, the new Waste Management Act that is in the process of being presented to the Cabinet, which emphasises waste segregation from source, transfer station, and advanced transportation and other modern management of waste, is expected to support sustainable waste management once it comes into effect. In the past, waste management issue was heavily politicised, hindering to sort out the matter. The present government, with a huge mandate, should come up with an effective plan to solve this chronic issue once and for all.