Garbage politics

Until Saturday, garbage from the streets of Kathmandu Valley remained uncollected for the sixth straight day owing to obstructions created by locals residing around the Aletar Landfill Site in Nuwakot district, thus turning the place into quite an eyesore and, more importantly, a breeding ground for diseases. The locals have been pressing the government to fulfill their 13-point demand, including construction of a hospital, in return for withdrawing their strike. By the time this editorial was written on Sunday, the government and the locals had still not reached an agreement meaning that Kathmanduites might have to continue bearing the stench and smell emanating from the decomposing garbage strewn at different places of the valley at least for one more day, if not more.



It is indiscernible as to why our government cannot find a permanent solution to this problem that seems to surface more often than not. At least every second month, a group of locals invariably obstruct garbage disposal and come forward with a list of demands. Following that, each time, the script unfolds in the same fashion: The obstructions continue for a few days, the government and the locals sit for talks and finally the issue is settled temporarily with the government agreeing to some of the demands of the locals while promising to fulfill the rest in the future. The question is: Since we all know that such solutions only embolden other groups of locals to employ the same tactics to use it as a bargaining chip against the government, why doesn’t it put efforts to resolve the problem permanently? This is something that the public wants to know from the government.



It is simply insane that the government is giving room to locals to use garbage as a tool to blackmail it. That reflects badly on it. It just shows that it is unable to solve even the most basic of problems. And each time this problem crops up, it poses major health risks to hundreds of thousands of valley residents. We may not see it but it impacts us in many other ways as well. For example, some of the tourists not only cut short their stay in Kathmandu but sometimes, fearing grave health risks, leave the country altogether. And the negative impression of the city that they carry and share with their friends and family back in their respective homes certainly discourages many potential tourists from coming to the country. Word of mouth plays a big role in tourism. We have to see the problem in this light. With Nepal Tourism Year 2011 just around the corner, it is in the country’s best interests to solve this problem once and for all.

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