Kathmandu, Arpil 9 The Office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City has stepped up preparations for generating electricity under its ‘Waste to Energy Project’. A KMC official said the project aimed at maintaining cleanliness of the metropolis by converting waste into energy would be completed within three months. European Union and KMC will bear 80 per cent and 20 per cent of the total cost of the project respectively. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 20 million. The metropolis will install state-of-the-art equipment with the capacity of generating 14 kilowatts of electricity at Teku in the first phase. The multi-purpose equipment to be installed in Teku Waste Transfer Centre would have the capacity of treating 300 tonnes of biodegradable or organic waste daily to produce electricity, organic fertiliser, Liquefied Petroleum Gas and drinking water. READ ALSO

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The Valley produces an average of 450 tonnes of waste a day. Of them, nearly 63 percent is organic waste. According to a recent study conducted by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, five municipalities of the Kathmandu Valley — Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Kirtipur Municipality — and Kalimati fruits and vegetables market alone produce 331 tonnes urban waste every day. KMC had been facing a tough time managing household waste due to lack of resources and technology. The project is expected to assist the KMC in tackling problems created by household waste. The official said the electricity generated from the waste on trial basis will be used in the metropolis. The KMC informed that the project had adopted consortium model in waste management. As per the model, biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste would be segregated to produce organic fertiliser and energy in participation of the local community.