Kathmandu, September 19:

The recurrent problem of managing wastes generated by the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market will last no longer as the Public Private Partnership for Urban Development (PPPUD) along with the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Committee (KFVMDC) are all set to start composting the wastes generated by the market.

It is estimated that the Kalimati market area spread in 45 ropani of lands with 400 whole sellers and 80 retailers is producing about 20 tons of wastes everyday, but the waste management have been an eminent problem. Two trucks of the KFVMDC dispose the wastes of the market in the Okharpauwa landfill site. The KFVMDC said that the trucks carry about 10 tons of wastes everyday and the excess is littered in the market area.

According to Sunil Babu Shrestha, project development officer of the PPPUD, an agreement on this behalf has been made with Kalpa Brikshya, a private organisation, to compost the wastes in Chobhar.

Shrestha said: “With the infrastructure development almost over now, the collection and composting wastes will begin by November.” Except vegetables with seeds like tomato, other wastes would be collected for composting.

Tulasi Gautam, executive director of the KFVMDC said the KFVMDC would transport the wastes collected from the market and composte it in Chobhar. “We have to dump the wastes 30 km away from the market everyday, while the composting site is merely 5 km far,” he said, adding they are soon placing small and big containers in the market to collect the wastes and constructing ramp to load the wastes to the trucks easily. Gautam said: “Transporting the wastes to Okharpauwa is expensive and time consuming, while recurrent bandhs had further intensified the problem.” “The waste increases pollution and invites risk of contagious diseases,” he added.