Kathmandu, August 23 :

The Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) has set up a six-member high-level committee under the convenership of the joint secretary of the ministry, Surya Prasad Silwal, to look into the Valley’s garbage management problems.

The other members of the committee are the chief executive officer of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City (LSMC), the Local Development Officer of the Kathmandu District Development Committee, chief of the Environment Department of the KMC, Rabin Man Shrestha, general manager of the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre (SMRMC) Gunaraj Ghimire.

Silwal, the former chief executive officer of the KMC, said the committee would look for a long-term solution to the problems in managing solid-waste and would initiate talks with locals of Sisdole, the area where the dumping site is located. “The committee will try to fulfill their demands,” Silwal said, adding: “We will also manage funds to provide compensation to victims of Sisdole and for the development works in the area.” Member Shrestha said the committee was formed following a decision last Friday.

Both the KMC and the LSMC are having a tough time finding places in the Valley to dump garbage after locals of the Sisdole landfill site barred the civic bodies from dumping garbage in the area.