Kathmandu, October 13:

Garbage will not be collected in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City for two more days, keeping in view opposition from locals of Sisdole against dumping of garbage in the Sisdole landfill site.

“Accompanied by officials of the Ministry of Local Development and Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre, we (officials of the KMC and LSMC), went there today with trucks full of garbage and bulldozers. We tried to convince the locals, but to no avail. We had to return without dumping garbage, leaving all the vehicles at the Naragjun hill,” said Dinesh Thapaliya, executive officer of the KMC.

“The locals told us that a new committee will be formed very soon to deal with the government. We hope the committee will be formed by Saturday and garbage-dumping at the site will resume by Sunday,” Thapaliya said. The municipalities have not collected garbage for three days because locals of Sisdole won’t let them dump garbage at the site. About 500 tonnes of garbage is produced in two cities every day.

“Locals accused the government of not initiating development works in the locality as promised. They put up a stiff opposition as we reached there.” “Government officials urged the locals to let garbage-dumping and talks continue simultaneously,” Thapaliya said. The ministry chose the hilly area of Sisdole to manage solid waste after the local community approved of the plan two-and-a-half years ago. A committee formed to forge coordination with the government bodies was dissolved recently.

A government official quoted locals as saying that “they will not let authorities dump garbage at the site till a new panel is formed.” It is not known as to when the committee will be formed.

The unfolding crisis

•Locals say they won’t let authorities dump garbage unless a new committee is formed and their demands are met

•Government officials today urged the locals to let them dump the garbage and continue talks simultaneously, but the locals turned down the request

•The KMC had stated earlier that garbage dumping would continue from Friday

•The locals have accused the government of not expediting development works as promised

•Locals undecided as to when they will form the committee

•Garbage could not be dumped today following a stiff opposition from locals

•Garbage dumping at Sisdole started after locals approved of a government proposal some two-and-a-half years ago

•Every day, 500 tonnes of garbage is produced in Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City. The opposition to dumping of garbage has given rise to an unprecedented crisis