Issues (Nepal) : Solid waste management crisis in Kathmandu Valley

Sunday, 21 January 2007

The problem of solid waste management in Kathmandu is caused not only by the inadequate systems for the collection, transfer and final disposal of solid waste but also by an abysmal level of public awareness. The Kathmandu municipal cooperation has for long been adopting various strategies for the safe disposal of solid waste.

The efforts in this regard got a boost with the His Majesty’s Government of Nepal (HMG/N) and the Government of Japan jointly launching a study, titled ‘The study on the Solid Waste Management for the Kathmandu Valley’, with technical assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The 2001 national census put the total population of Kathmandu at about 700,000. The present population status of the city is, however, rather changed. The socio-political conflict that is presently plaguing the country has resulted in people from all over Nepal migrating into the capital, thereby drastically changing the city’s demographics. With such population figures and an estimated per capita waste generation of 1 litre per day, Kathmandu’s total generation of waste was found (according to Nippon Koel Co. Ltd. and Yachiyo Engineering Co. Ltd.’s Study of Solid waste management for Kathmandu Valley) to be a whopping 910 m3 per day, including commercial waste, street waste and waste from outskirts of the Kathmandu valley.

According to Rajesh Manandhar, head, solid waste management, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), of the total waste generated, no more than 93 per cent is being collected. The rest escapes collection because people throw their garbage here and there, often at the banks of the nearby river.

The final disposal of the collected waste is also an issue of major concern. Due to various conflicts between the Solid Waste Management and Resources Mobilisation Centre (SWMRMC) and the KMC, the disposal site has been shifting from one place to another. Manandhar says that at present, around 700-900 m3 of waste is dumped along and in the Bagmati River, in addition to some dumping in open spaces.

Dumping the waste so gives rise to a number of problems, including the threat of waste washout, the residents in the immediate surroundings getting affected by waste odour and the absence of mechanisms to control lechate and landfill gas.To minimise such problems, the SWMRMC, in close collaboration with the private sector organisation Luna Nepal Chemicals and Fertilisers Pvt. Ltd., has proposed a fresh site at Okharpauwa, 16 kms. west of Kathmandu, for the final disposal of solid waste. This decision has received two types of reactions: one response, primarily from those associated with the SWMRMC, has been to welcome the move, while the other (mostly representing KMC) has labelled it totally worthless due to the high transportation costs involved. The latter also questions the ethics of handing over the city’s waste to areas in the vicinity. The future of final disposal site, thus, is still rather uncertain.

To minimise waste, some have proposed the construction of a compost plant near the city. The plan to do so is still being worked out, and the final decision is yet to be announced.

As a big city, Kathmandu does not generate a huge amount of waste but the lack of a management system is fast giving the problem disastrous proportions. Simple solutions such as composting, recycling and private sector participation have been talked about but decision making has been slow and implementation weak. Recently, a taskforce was set up and private sector was being promoted to participate in the collection and dumping of waste. A door-to-door collection system was adopted. In context of solid waste, the implementation of the principle “polluter pays” seems more or less fruitful.People’s attitude has much to do with the worsening waste management situation in Nepal. “Out of sight, out of mind” and “not in my backyard” are the most common responses to the problem. This attitude, coupled with the habit of dumping garbage in areas where no one complains, is doing much damage. Otherwise, waste can actually be treated as a resource, since the waste generated by one can serve as the input for another process. If this theory was to be put into practice, no industry in the country would have to depend on another country for raw material, thus not only minimising waste, but also generating wealth.

So far as the legal provisions are concerned, though the Environmental Protection Act, 1997, has no direct provisions relating to solid waste management, Sections 3 and 4 of the Act have some provisions to conduct Environment Impact Assessment/Initial Environmental Examination. This Act needs to be strictly followed while selecting landfill site/s. Similarly, Section 7 of the Act bars anybody from creating pollution in a manner that can cause nuisance; have significant adverse impact on the environment; or be hazardous to public life and health. However, to achieve these ends, public awareness is the most crucial factor.
Prashanna Man Pradhan