KATHMANDU, July 18: The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a writ of mandamus directing government agencies to improve solid waste management in the Kathmandu Valley. In its order, the Court instructed the government to establish a Kathmandu Valley Waste Management Support and Coordination Committee, to be chaired by the Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, to ensure coordination and collaboration among the federal, provincial, and local governments and to adopt long-term solutions to the Valley's waste management challenges.
The apex court's full verdict also emphasizes the effective implementation of the Solid Waste Management Act, 2011 (2068 BS), the National Solid Waste Management Policy, 2022 (2079 BS), and other relevant laws and strategies. It further directs all local governments to enforce mandatory segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste at the source—in households, offices, schools, commercial establishments, and public places—and to enhance public awareness on waste segregation.
The court also ordered authorities to designate fixed days, times, and locations for waste collection, inform the public accordingly, and ensure that biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste are collected separately. It stressed that priority should be given to waste treatment, reuse, recycling, and the production of compost from organic waste.
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In addition, the court directed all local governments in the Kathmandu Valley to formulate immediate, short-term, and long-term waste management action plans and to ensure their effective implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
The order further states that any new legislation on solid waste management should include an effective institutional mechanism to facilitate cooperation and coordination among the federal, provincial, and local governments. It also instructed every local government, the provincial governments, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to establish grievance-handling mechanisms and make the public aware of them.
The court also ordered authorities to adopt necessary risk mitigation measures to protect the health and the constitutional right to a clean environment of residents living around the Sisdole–Okharpauwa landfill site.
Furthermore, the court directed the concerned authorities to submit progress reports on the implementation of the order to the Judgment Execution Directorate of the Supreme Court every three months.
"Overall, the SC has clarified that solid waste management is not solely the responsibility of local governments but a shared responsibility of the federal, provincial, and local governments. It has directed the development of a coordinated, scientific, long-term, and environmentally sustainable waste management system," said advocate Padam Bahadur Shrestha, who had filed the writ petition seeking the mandamus.
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