Himalayan News Service

Lalitpur, May 31:

Under a four-month pilot project, Kathmandu and Lalitpur’s garbage will be dumped at Sisdole, Okhar-pauwa, from next week. According to an agreement reached on May 15 between Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Lalitpur sub-Metropolitan City (LMC), Ministry of Local Development and Okhapauwa Sanitary Landfill Site Main Coordination Committee (OSLSMCC), 24 tonnes of garbage from KMC and LMC will be dumped at Sisdole, 20 km from Teku, for four months. Four vehicles, with a capacity of six tonnes each, have been hired by Clean Kathmandu Valley (CKV)/-JICA to carry 24 out of 360 tonnes of garbage from KMC and LMC. Environmental engineer at LMC, Pradeep Amatya, said as 21 vehicles required for the project’s full operation will arrive only in October, till then they will carry on with this trial operation for four months.

Surya Man Shakya, general manager of Solid Waste and Resource Mobilisation Centre, said that though the Sisdole landfill site has met all technical, financial, environmental and social aspects, legal and institutional aspects have been obstructing its operation. Around 15 staff members are required to run the Sisdole site. For this KMC, LMC and OSLSMCC are working at recruiting staff for various posts. The Sisdole site was constructed nine months ago and will be operational for three years. Its construction was supported by CKV/JICA. According to the agreement, scavengers will be prohibited from entering the sanitary landfill site. Dumping of medical and industrial wastes has also been prohibited.