Kathmandu roads get filled with garbage as locals disrupt way to land-fill site

It's been over 10 days that garbage from corners and collection centres of Kathmandu hasn't moved by an inch as road leading to deposition site has been blocked by locals.

Major streets of Kathmandu and Lalitpur Metropolitan City are now littered with piles of garbage dumped by households, shops, hotels, businesses and offices giving rise to a foul smell.

Locals along the Pasang Lhamu Highway, the road leading to Sisdole landfill site, have been obstructing garbage disposal since 13 February, putting forth demand to upgrade the highway.

"Garbage contributes to the increased infection and contamination in human body. It is a shame to see it being dumped in various locations in capital Kathmandu," Nira Rawal, resident of Kathmandu told ANI.

With locals residing on the way to the landfill site protesting, the door-to-door garbage collection facility of valley remains obstructed in the areas like Patan, Bhaisipati, Kalimati, Baneshwor, Lazimpat, Gaushala, Kamapokhari, Ratopul, among others.

Tons of solid waste in many parts of the valley has been putrefying in the open. Due to the growing waste crisis, many residents are used to simply flinging trash onto the ground and roadsides.

The residents of the valley have complained that the roadside of the houses and market areas are stinking because of piling heaps of garbage.

The Landfill Site Division of KMC earlier issuing a release said the garbage collection was halted due to obstruction caused by locals from Tinpiple to Mukhu Bhanjyang, forwarding demands to blacktop Pasang Lhamu Highway. The locals have been preventing lorries carrying garbage from reaching the site.

"The KMC has been constantly asking the Road Division and the construction company to speed up the project. However, the project has been left in the lurch despite extension of the deadline time and again," the release stated.

The garbage from 18 local levels of the Kathmandu Valley is being dumped at the landfill site at Sisdole for the past 13 years.

At least 1,200 metric ton garbage is dumped at Sisdole landfill site daily from valley. Every day, 200 vehicles, both private and public, transport garbage to Sisdole from the valley. The landfill site of Sisdole has already run out of space, while the alternative to this landfill site Banchare Danda, Nuwakot, is still in limbo.

Sisdole was originally meant to be a temporary dumping ground for three years. However, this landfill site has been serving as an only place to dump the wastes generated by the valley since 2005. The KMC generates over 500 tonnes of wastes daily while the valley generates double that amount.

( With inputs from ANI )