Kathmandu, October 14:

It has been months that the garbage in Kathmandu Valley has not been cleared after the locals of Sisdole objected to dumping of waste there and now residents of Teku have stopped operation of the transfer station.

The Sisdole residents have forwarded a list of 28 demands to the authorities concerned before they let waste to be dumped there.

There is no sign that the problem could be solved easily and Kathmandu Valley is stinking with an additional 500 tonnes of waste awaiting clearance everyday.

And now, authorities at the municipalities and Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Center (SWMRMC) under Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) have sought support of the political parties to solve the garbage disposal problem.

“We are seeking support from all the political parties to solve the garbage problem the Valley has been witnessing since the past few months after the locals of Sisdole created obstacles to dumping the waste there,” said Dinesh Thapaliya, chief executive office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC).

He said the KMC alone cannot solve the problem as it cannot fulfill the ever-growing demands of the people of nine village development committees in the area adjoining the Sisdole landfill site.

“Political parties should be active to solve the problem at the earliest,” he said.

KMC has been requesting all the political parties to help resolve the problem by convincing the local leaders of Okharpauwa about the problem. General manager of SWMRMC, Gunaraj Ghimire, said the government should be sensitive towards the impending problem of solid waste management in the Valley.

KMC chief Thapaliya said the KMC would take garbage to the Sisdole landfill site on Sunday along with the 11 trucks lying at Nagarjun. However, Sriram Dhungana, treasurer of the dissolved Okharpauwa Sanitary Landfill site Main Coordination Committee, said: “It would be unfortunate if the government tried to dump waste forcefully. Force can invite accident,” he warned.

He further said garbage cannot be dumped unless government signs an agreement with the new committee. The meeting between the local representatives held at Sisdole concluded without conclusion. “The next round of meeting would be held at the SWMRMC on Sunday at 11 am,” Ghimere informed.

Meanwhile, a local club of Teku has blocked the Teku transfer station of Kathmandu Metropolitan City where garbage is dumped temporarily before being transferred to the landfill site. “They have not allowed to take the garbage away from the transfer station let alone take garbage there,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of environment department of KMC.