Kathmandu, October 3

Kathmandu Metropolitan City today said it would continue with waste management during Dashain holidays.

Chief of Environment Management Department Hari Kumar Shrestha said sanitation staffers were set to collect, transport and dispose waste on rotational basis. “We will collect and transport the waste from Kathmandu valley to Okharpauwa landfiill site for disposal. The landfill site used to remain closed during Dashain in previous years. We have decided to celebrate the festival with regular sanitation and waste management,” he said.

If everything goes as planned, waste collected from Kathmandu will be ferried to the landfill site even on the day of Vijaya Dashami for the first time. “We are making necessary effort to celebrate clean Dashain and appeal to all to produce waste as little as possible,” Shrestha said. The metropolis expects less amount of waste generated during Dashain holidays as many people leave Kathmandu for their hometowns and government offices and industries remain closed.

According to KMC, it has been cleaning temples, roads and public places in view of Dashain. The metropolis boasts of around 700 sweepers and 100 garbage trucks for waste management. The trucks will collect and transport waste to the transfer centre at Teku before being transported to the landfill site for disposal.

According to a study carried out by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, KMC, Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality and Kirtipur Municipality produce more than 331 metric tonnes of urban waste daily. Dashain adds to organic garbage piles that emit foul odour. Civic authorities often face a tough time to clear the festival waste generated in core city areas.

Chairperson of NGO Federation of Nepal, Tikaram Dahal said private organisations and NGOs will cooperate with KMC to collect and dispose waste during Dashain.During Dashain in the past the landfill site used to remain closed for at least six days,” he said.