Disposal of Kathmandu Valley’s waste was disrupted again on Wednesday after the locals of Sisdole prevented the garbage carrying trucks from reaching the landfill site.
Since Wednesday morning, the locals of Sisdole and Banchare Danda have been obstructing the road leading to Banchare Danda, the newly built landfill site bordering Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
Landfill site in-charge Sarkar Deep Shrestha said the locals stopped the trucks on Wednesday. However, some trucks managed to reach the landfill and disposed the garbage, he added.
The situation remained tense throughout the day. The locals have created obstruction everywhere, said Shrestha.
Earlier on Monday night, a tripartite agreement was forged among the Ministry of Urban Development and people’s representatives of the Valley and people’s representatives of Sisdole and Banchare Danda.
But locals and Sisdole, Banchare Danda Struggle Committee have been claiming that they will not abide by the agreement as it was made without addressing the long-standing demands of the locals of the affected areas and forged without the participation of the affected locals. The police on Tuesday even detained some locals temporarily after they tried to vandalise the trucks carrying the garbage.
Waste collection which was disrupted in the Kathmandu Valley for more than 10 days had resumed on Tuesday amid continued protest of the locals of Sisdole and Banchare Danda landfill of Nuwakot. Due to the protest of the locals, door-to-door garbage collection has been halted in the Kathmandu Valley for about two months. Tonnes of solid wastes have piled up in many parts of the Valley.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has also announced to make it mandatory for businesses and households to separate the waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable while handing it to the garbage collectors.
The government is preparing to close the Sisdole landfill site, 17 years after it came into operation.
Source : TRN,
