The govt should have consulted the locals before building the landfill site at Banchare Danda
Amidst the bevy of programmes held to mark World Environment Day on Sunday, the residents of Kathmandu had just one thing in mind – when will the streets of the capital be cleared of the mountains of garbage? It's been four months since the municipality has not been able to pick up garbage regularly from the streets because the locals of Sisdole and Banchare Danda in Nuwakot will not allow garbage trucks to pass through their area to the dumping site.
The locals have been demanding that the government and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) widen and upgrade the Mudku-Tinpiple road section of the Pasang Lhamu Highway that passes through the area as a condition for allowing the trucks to dispose of the city's waste. On Friday, the newly-elected young Mayor of KMC Balen Shah and his deputy were at the new landfill site at Banchare Danda, situated about 26 km from Kathmandu, to talk the locals into stopping their agitation, but they would not yield. Besides the road, they also want the government to provide them compensation and carry out development programmes.
About a thousand tons of garbage are generated in the Kathmandu Valley daily, and all 18 municipalities of the valley, barring Bhaktapur, depend on the landfill site in Nuwakot to dispose of their waste. Unable to manage the waste, it is being dumped on the riversides, at street crossings and on the roadsides. Apartfrom being an eyesore, the stench emanating from the garbage has become unbearable. The heaps of garbage everywhere are also a health hazard, attracting rodents, flies and insects, which could lead to an outbreak of transmissible diseases anytime. Withthe monsoon having arrived in Nepal, it is only a matter of days before the garbage finds itself in the rivers, polluting them. The new mayor on assuming office had made waste management his first priority, and the people do have high expectations from him.
But he can't do much on his own, especially given that there are quite a number of activists from the ruling and opposition parties wanting to fail him – an independent candidate – in his endeavours.
The government and the KMC find themselves in a fix because the locals of Nuwakot have an upper hand. The government should have consulted the locals or bought the land of those who would be affected before building the landfill site at Banchare Danda.
No one wants to live near a site from where stench keeps emanating day in, day out. Can the issue be resolved for good? If both the government and the locals are serious about it, it could. But if the locals want to politicise the issue, knowing fully well that they have a stranglehold on the valley, they could always use a flimsy excuse or a demand to stop garbage trucks from passing through their area. It is apparent that garage cannot remain uncollected and unmanaged any longer. The international media is starting to take notice of it, and the tourists, who are starting to trickle in after a hiatus of two years of the pandemic, are leaving with a poor image of the country. It leaves the government little option other than to meet the demands of the Nuwakot locals before the residents of the Kathmandu valley take to the streets demanding action.
Early monsoon
The Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) has officially announced the arrival of this year's monsoon in Nepal, eight days earlier than the normal date of its onset. It means Nepal will receive above or more than average rainfall during this monsoon, which lasts till September-end. The MFD bulletin said monsoon entered Nepal from the eastern part of the country on Sunday, and it will cover the entire country within a few days. The normal date of the monsoon's entry into the country is June 13. Nepal receives an average 80 per cent of annual rainfall during the monsoon, and the average annual rainfall is 1,600 mm.
The MFD has also predicted more than average rainfall in the western part of the country. It means the more than average rainfall will trigger more landslides in the hills and mountains and flooding in the plains, leaving more people dead and displacing many more families from their homes. Taking clues from the MFD, the government agencies must stay on high alert to rescue the people and provide humanitarian assistance, remaining fully prepared.
Early warning systems about the possibility of heavy rains and floods in the major river basins must be activated so that people can stay safe from the natural disasters.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 6, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.