Lalitpur, October 2:

The Solid Waste Management Act 2064 will be implemented for the management of growing problem of solid waste in the cities.

The act aims to minimise the bad effects of solid waste and manage it in a sustainable manner and at the same time use garbage as an important resource.

In the discussion held between the Local Development Ministry and Solid Waste Promotion and Resource Mobilisation to make necessary modifications in the proposed act before finalising it today, the stakeholders said the solid waste management work would be easier and effective if the proposed solid waste management act is implemented.

Acting Secretary of Local Development Ministry, Ganga Dutta Abasthi, said the proposed act would make local bodies more responsible and identify the role of the non-governmental organisations. Informing that the solid waste management act-2064 will be implemented inserting recommendations, Abasthi stressed the need to identify all organisations working in the solid waste management sector.

General Manager of the Solid Waste Promotion and Resource Mobilisation Centre, Niwaschandra Shrestha, urged the civil society to play an important role in implementing the act and emphasised that various bodies involved in solid waste management should be clarified in the act.

The United Nations Habitat chief technical consultant Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha said the Nepal’s sanitation sector has not achieved subsequent progress and added that his organisation would provide support for management of solid waste.

Former General Manager of Solid Waste Promotion and Resource Mobilisation Centre, Gunraj Ghimire, said problems have surfaced in the solid waste management as the role of stakeholders has not been identified.

Former General Manager of the centre, Surya Man Shakya, said if solid waste is not managed properly, Nepali cities would be source of pollution in ten years.

Participants at the programme have given various recommendations after holding discussion on the draft act. The modified draft act will be tabled in the coming parliament convention. The United Nations Habitat said that the Government of Nepal and non-government organisations have been working in partnership and providing various technical and economic assistance.

The Solid Waste Promotion and Resource Mobilisation Centre of the United Nations Habitat will provide assistance worth US $9,500 to make standard of solid waste management of households.