Kathmandu, November 19

Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Bidhya Sundar Shakya said Integrated Solid Waste Management Project would not start until Investment Board of Nepal addressed issues related to managing employees working in the waste management  sector.

The metropolis had, on November 6, put off signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Investment Board of Nepal and a private company on ISWMP.

Speaking at a programme organised at the temporary landfill site in Teku, Mayor Shakya said they were waiting to see how Investment Board of Nepal would address their demands.

“We want to make it clear that no agreement will be signed until our demands are fulfilled,” said Mayor Shakya.

There are 1,100 employees working in the waste management sector in KMC. KMC is also demanding that IBN and the contractor should hire equipment, along with 150 trucks for waste management.

ISWMP is a $50 million worth project proposed by IBN to be developed under public-private partnership model employing build-operate-transfer modality to manage the waste of Kathmandu valley. It is believed that completion of the project will end garbage woes in Kathmandu.

IBN and Nepwaste Pvt Ltd, a Finnish joint venture company, had signed the project development agreement in March, but due to KMC’s demand, project work has not started yet.

Currently, the valley generates 1,000 metric tonnes of waste every day.

The collected trash — both degradable and non-degradable — is dumped at Sisdole landfill site in Okarpauwa of Nuwakot, 26-km away from Kathmandu.

The landfill site was initially used as a short-term (two years) landfill site to dump waste from the valley, but it has been more than 13 years since its operation.

Sisdole landfill site has already maxed out on its capacity but there is no alternative plan for managing waste.

New method to minimise garbage odour

KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City in coordination with Lirma International on Monday demonstrated a method to reduce the foul smell of bio-degradable garbage at the temporary landfill site in Teku.

KMC conducted the test in a bid to help people get rid of the foul smell emanating from garbage collected at various place of the city. A test was conducted with animal excreta, skin of animals and feathers of chickens mixed with blood. Officials of Lirma Internationals used micro-bio positive bacteria in the waste to reduce the foul smell. Pradeep Thapa of the organisation said it was a Japanese technology that had been used by many countries to get rid of garbage odour.

Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Bidhya Sundar Shakya said the new technology would give great relief to garbage collectors as they would not have to deal with foul smell from waste materials.