A new group of locals from the area surrounding the Okharpauwa landfill site obstructed 16 trucks transporting garbage from Kathmandu on Tuesday.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) had started collecting garbage from the streets of Kathmandu following an agreement between the Ministry of Local Development and an agitating group of locals on Monday. The ministry had assured the group of jobs for locals and development works in the upcoming fiscal year.
Gangadhar Gautam, officer at the Environment Department of KMC, told Nepali Times that another group of locals has also come up with similar demands, including employment, compensation for land, and infrastructure development. “It has become a trend to form groups and put forth demands. This should be dealt with once and for all,” Gautam said.
Garbage from Kathmandu has not been collected for the past week, and heaps of garbage on the streets pose a threat to public health. According to Gautam, KMC has built a pit in Teku for the time being to dispose of Kathmandu garbage. It has been able to collect garbage from the roads leading from Kalimati to the airport as this is an ‘A’ grade road. But piles of garbage continue to grow in other parts of the Valley.
Valley dwellers face this problem every month on average. In the last five years, garbage disposal has been obstructed at least 61 times. Locals come up with demands and the government offers a package of solutions, which does not, however, get implemented.
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Kathmandu’s Garbage.
1. Rationalize collection. Separate bio-degradable and non-degradable. at the source itself,at every household. Provide large containers with wheels to every house. Collect the two different garbage at different days. Use colour codes.
2.Give incentive to the house with soak pit. Make it mandatory in detached houses when giving building permit.
3.Select proper site for treatment plant or landfil . Make the villagers nearby as partners in the recycling plant.;by alloting shares to them.Envolve the local leaders in the management.It can be self-supporting;prove capitalto establish and run the project as economically as possible.
4.Charge for municipal sewer connection. But practice austerity. The Mayor of Kathmandu does not and cannot afford to ride a Mercedes Benz. He should ride a Sujuki or a Golchha product.
5.We are willing to pay tax
as in Sweden; but it should be clean and corruption free as in Scandinavia.
The house tax is high enough in Kathmandu Municipal Areas at present in itself. There is no elected representative but tax is being increased every year at exorbitant rates. It has to be used judiciously and not misused.