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Solid Waste Management: A major environmental issue in Kathmandu |
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Kathmandu generates 0.3kg/p/day on regular basis (Shrestha, Solid Waste Management in Kathmandu city, Nepal). The Kathmandu Municipality report states that there are 30 to 35 groups of waste pickers in Kathmandu, working mainly in Teku. The total number of households here is 5,427,302 (Population Census 2011). Kathmandu is growing fast and studies suggest that every year 20,000 new houses are built and slums population is also rising up. 355 tons waste per day from these household constitutes 70% organic and 20% inorganic waste content. And its management requires high space, utmost budget, innovative technology, trained personnel and long time duration. Solid waste management is a crucial issue for both the developing as well as under developed country. Nepal initiated its first step to Environment Management in Kathmandu Valley with ?household waste management? through sanitary landfill. Opened on 5th June 2005, Sisodol V.D.C. in Nuwakot district. This landfill site valley 1 has been supported by Japanese government through JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) with technical and financial support. Daily 300-400 ton/day transfer to this site from Kathmandu metropolitan and Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city. . Regularly we can see heaps of solid wastes piled up in streets of Kathmandu and its public areas. Heaps of rotten wastes invite various kinds of communicable diseases. Solid waste is a potential place for the flies to breed which spreads various diseases. And we are facing familiar problems that waste turn out. We, SchEMS (School of Environmental Science and Management) students visited Sisdol site, on 2nd October, 2013 under direction of Prakash Amatya sir for practical study on ?Solid Waste Management? under Environmental Technologies. Since, large sum of national budget is allocated on solid waste management-Land over-exploitation, public demand of inhabitant therein management responsibilities and political invasion are the major controversial national issues about Sisdol that clash on every published reports and daily newspapers. ?Politics for supervisor determination: thekka-patta? was what I thought to write. However, environmentalist in me didn't permit for digging out political agendas on my web browser. Subsequently, I found ?Effects on public health and sanitation? more critical than air polluting, traffic congestion, administrative decision or advocacy on facilitation to locals of Nuwakot. With interaction with Mr. Dip Shrestha, site engineer, the waste deposition of 8m height exceeds its capacity. 2 or 3 month period during Monsoon rain causes severe leachate at this 2 hectare land and effects human health widely. The condition will get worse in few more years. The EPA says that all landfills eventually leak, so claims that ?state of the art technology,? will protect our groundwater and our communities by waste industry representatives are never true. In addition to threats to groundwater, landfills give off potentially harmful gases, and odors will often permeate the neighborhoods. Some studies show that birth defects increase in communities surrounding landfills. However, sanitary landfill is the only potential option we have in Nepal for solving ?Solid Waste? issues. To manage the existing havoc on waste control, Solid Waste Management Technical Support Centre said developing the site at Bancharedanda of Nuwakot district will cost around Rs 1.86 billion. ?Efforts are on to complete the project in three years,? said Sumitra Amatya, executive director at the centre. ?Rs 1.86 billion will be spent to develop the site at Bancharedanda,? she informed. Bancharedanda is about three kilometres away from the Sisdole Landfill Site. And if everything goes as planned, Nepal will have its largest landfill site in three years. Hopefully, the solid waste threats and its issues end with new project. |
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9 Comments
thanks for sharing our capital issue here
Posted 23-01-2014 23:49
Proper disposal & possible recycling solid waste may solve this impasse.
Posted 16-01-2014 14:50
Thanks for sharing Shradha. Waste management is a common problem in most countries.
Posted 15-01-2014 02:09
Best of Luck, Shradha
Posted 14-01-2014 15:51
Christy, you got it right, for Nepal, the mismanagement has been a serious threat at present. Shradha, thank you for sharing a vivid report on our situation.
Posted 13-01-2014 21:40
The average quantity of solid waste doesn't seem many compared to other peer countries. But when it is not disposed properly, it can be a disaster for a rapidly growing city like Kathmandu. Thank you so much for the informative article, Shradha!
Posted 13-01-2014 14:07
Solid waste management is very complex. Sharjah (UAE) has started it. Leaking landfills is a potential hazard for sure. we all share your concern.
Posted 12-01-2014 15:40
Thanks for sharing Shradha.
Posted 12-01-2014 12:38
All the best Shradha.
Posted 12-01-2014 05:04