It’s the same old story. The people living in the vicinity of Sisdole Landfill Site in Nuwakot district obstruct garbage-carrying vehicles of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). KMC fails to hammer out a compromise. Solid wastes pile up in every nook and cranny of the City. The same old drama played itself out nine days ago. Vehicles on their way to the dumping site were blocked after a community forest user group allegedly tore down the house of a local. Others promptly joined the obstructionists demanding that two local schools be provided with teachers. The obstruction was lifted after Okharpauwa locals gave the government 10 days to hold secretary-level meeting to allocate enough budget for areas affected by the dumping site. Meanwhile, KMC has been exploring alternative landfill sites at Sundarighat and Chovar.

On Monday, KMC CEO Dinesh Thapaliya had admitted the failure of his office to manage Valley’s waste, citing insufficient budget and human resources as the main culprits. Every time the problem of waste management crops up, the issue is resolved by adopting stopgap measures. Instead, what KMC needs to do is make people aware about the risks of poor waste management and teach them simple home waste disposal methods to cut down on the huge amount of solid waste. Only a collective effort of common people, concerned government bodies and understanding and cooperation of the locals of the areas affected by the dumped waste will result in a long-term solution.