KATHMANDU: The ongoing three day nationwide general strike has affected garbage collection in the capital.

Around 600 metric tonnes of garbage is produced everyday in the capital, the collection of which was disrupted on Monday, the second consecutive day of the general strike.

According to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the capital alone produces at least 350 metric tonnes of waste each day while about 250 metric tonnes of garbage is produced in Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Kirtipur Municipality, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality and other village development committees adjoining the municipalities.

The KMC spends some Rs 100,000 on garbage disposal per day to transport it to Aletar Landfill Site in Nuwakot district about 16 kms away from the valley. “The garbage collection was badly affected because of the ongoing strike,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief at the Environment Management Department under the KMC. “We are helpless to serve people in such a difficult situation,” he added.

The garbage collection is likely to be disrupted even after the three-day Maoist strike as the agitating local body employees have warned of obstructing the garbage from December 24. “The problem will be more complicated,” said Shrestha. “The government should resolve the problems at the earliest,” added Shrestha.