Kathmandu: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has started to collect segregated solid waste from the households of the core area. Initially, The city office had started a pilot project from Naradevi in Ward No. 18 in with an awareness rally in August-end. The project was supposed to be carried out in Ward No. 12 and 21 as well, but it failed to succeed.
The spokesperson from Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Mr.Ishwor Man Dangol said that this campaign has been restarted and they are going to strictly monitor and make the people aware about waste segregation and bring it into action in an effective manner. “It’s the beginning of Visit Nepal Year 2020 and we cannot let the reputation of the city to be blemished due to garbage.”- He added.
This time, the city office is going to extend the drive-in Ward No 7, 9, 31 and 32 before taking it to all the other wards. The earlier campaign couldn’t succeed due to the indifference and negligence of the locals. Therefore, The Environment Division Chief of the city office, Mr.Hari Kumar Shrestha said that all the ward members have already been trained for waste segregation, and they will be deployed to inspect the waste segregation.
According to Shrestha, dustbins has been sent to all the wards for segregation purposes and this time, the city aims to receive only biodegradable waste on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while non-biodegradable waste will get collected on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Littering on the streets, alleys and sidewalks is a perennial problem in the oldest and wealthiest metropolis in the country. Every day, Kathmandu Valley generates 1,000 metric tonnes of solid waste, of which 60% is generated within the city.
On January 1, when the metropolitan city allocated Rs. 2 million for a week-long extravaganza for Visit Nepal 2020 campaign, the city received widespread criticism for not managing garbage on the roads, its public toilets and numerous potholes dotting its road network.
After public criticism for not being able to manage solid waste, Minister of State for Urban Development,Mr.Ram Bir Manandhar, Mayor Mr.Bidya Sundar Shakya, Deputy Mayor Mr.Hari Prabha Khadgi and other representatives from municipalities in Kathmandu Valley visited BanchareDanda, the proposed landfill site for the Valley, on Friday.
Shrestha said litterbugs and people who do not abide by the segregation rules will be booked as per the Solid Waste Management Act, 2068 (2011) and will be punished with the jail sentence up to three months and up to Rs. 100,000 fine against those found guilty of polluting public places. This can be a good way of controlling pollution in the city.
Source: TKP
