DHADING, June 11: Ten years have gone by since the government announced to construct a permanent dumping site at Bancharedanda for managing the solid waste generated in Kathmandu. But the dumping site has not been constructed yet in Bancharedanda borders, Dhading and Nuwakot districts.
The government had declared that the structure for the long-term management of waste would be constructed at Bancharedanda at Dhunibesi municipality-1three years after the development of temporary dumping sites at Sisdol of Kakani rural municipality-2 and at Okharpauwa, ward number 3 of the same rural municipality in Nuwakot district.
The life of the people around the temporary dumping sites, Sisdol and Okharpauwa, has been affected due to the unsystematic dumping of waste and lack of a permanent and sustainable dumping site.
Although the government has acquired 1,781 ropanis land for the construction of a permanent dumping site at Bancharedanda, it has not yet constructed the structure. The government has provided compensation to the locals whose land has been acquisitioned for this purpose. It was stated that the permanent dumping site would be ready by this July 16. However, there are no signs of this.
KMC looking for alternative dumping site
The Bancharedanda permanent dumping site is said to have the capacity to manage Kathmandu's garbage for 50 years.
Although it was stated in the beginning that only the waste from Kathmandu Metropolitan City would be dumped at the temporary dumping sites, the waste from 18 local levels within the Kathmandu Valley is dumped here.
"The government had declared that a permanent structure would be constructed within five years for the management of the waste. It has not done so even till now and the environment around this area has been polluted and life has become hard for the locals due to the waste and foul smell," Dhunibesi municipality mayor Balkrishna Acharya said.
The waste generated in the Kathmandu Valley is dumped at these temporary dumping sites since 14 years now. People of Dhading have been hit the most by the temporary dumping site at Okharpauwa. There is foul smell around the area and the kites, vultures and crows pick up the trash which take it to people's homes as the garbage is not properly managed at the dumping site, Mayor Acharya complained. He added that the sludge from the garbage dumped at the site flows down to the local stream, polluting the stream water which can neither be given to the cattle nor used for irrigation.
According to him, the cattle die if they happen to drink water from the stream and the plants in the field also dies if the stream water is used for irrigation. Man Bahadur Lama, chair of Kakani rural municipality, said, "There are still dumping garbage since 10 years at the site which was meant only for two years".
People around this site have started migrating out due to the pollution and the obnoxious smell. The permanent dumping site should be constructed at Bancharedanda at the earliest." Lama said the people in settlements to the south of the temporary dumping site have been affected the most, adding that 25 people at Sisdol and Okharpauwa have contracted cancer attributed to the dumping site.
He said the rural municipality has provided them money for their medical treatment. National Planning Commission vice-chairman Dr Pushpa Prasad Kandel said the process for constructing the permanent dumping site has been initiated. He said the waste management plant would be brought from abroad and installed at Bancharedanda for producing organic fertilizer and generating cooking gas.
There is also complaint of discrimination in the land acquisition between the proposed permanent site at Bancharedanda and the temporary sites.
The land up to 500 metres periphery has been acquired for the temporary dumping sites at Okharpauwa and Sisdol whereas land up to only 200 metres periphery has been acquired for construction of permanent dumping site at Bancharedanda.
Chair of Dhunebesi municipality-1, Chandra Tamang said that 100 families have not yet been compensated for their land which the government had acquired for using as temporary dumping site.
