Kathmandu, August 14

An agreement has been reached between locals of the landfill site affected areas of Okharpauwa of Nuwakot and Kathmandu Metropolitan City to repair the roads to and around the landfill site and manage another landfill site at the earliest.

After KMC Mayor Bidhya Sundar Shakya visited the landfill site last week, locals agreed to help KMC, if KMC upgrades the roads and manages another landfill site in future.

Joint spokesperson at KMC Namaraj Dhakal said after the mayor agreed to fulfil the demand of locals, they agreed to allow dumping of waste at the Okharpauwa landfill site. “Locals have demanded upgrade of roads to the landfill site and management of a new landfill site as soon as possible. Mayor Shakya gave his word that he would fulfil those demands gradually.” Dhakal told The Himalayan Times, “Both sides became ready to resolve problems related to waste management through mutual understanding.”

Out of about 28 Km roads from Balaju to the landfill site, locals have demanded upgrade of  road, except the highway.

Earlier, after holding talks with the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City on August 2, locals of Okharpauwa became ready to lift the obstruction of the road to Okharpauwa landfill site. Locals had obstructed the road to the dumping site from August 2 citing the unmanaged and rampant waste dumping that had affected locals.

KMC said the concern of the locals was to manage waste appropriately as they had become victims of waste dumping for the last 12 years.

The government had made Okharpauwa as the landfill site for two years and it had a plan to manage huge landfill site at Banchare Danda for next 50 year.