Piles of trash collect on streets of Nepal’s capital as garbage disposal becomes chronic problem

Experts say huge pile of trash may lead to outbreaks of communicable and vector-borne diseases

A woman covers her face as she walks past a pile of garbage dumped along the street in New Road in Kathmandu on 8 June (Reuters)

The streets of Kathmandu have been strewn with garbage piles for days after residents of a village outside the city have refused to let authorities dump trash in a key landfill site.

Residents of Bancheredanda in Nepal have alleged that the government has not done anything to provide them with proper infrastructure to properly dispoe the garbage.

Waste from Kathmandu and surrounding areas have piled up on roads of the Nepali capital for several days, creating problems for tourists and locals alike.

Local reports said that representatives of the ministry of urban development, Kathmandu metropolitan city (KMC), Kakani rural municipality of Nuwakot and Dhunibesi municipality of Dhading had reached an agreement to dispose all garbage generated by Kathmandu valley from Tuesday.

However, locals of Bancheredanda obstructed the transportation of garbage to the landfill site, due to which garbage collection from KMC, Lalitpur metropolis and other municipalities has been affected since last week.

Residents of Bancharedanda have been demanding that their settlements be relocated. They are also asking for a guarantee of employment, health insurance and access to education, according to Ghananath Bajgain, one of the representatives of the local municipality.

The locals have also accused the central government and Kathmandu Metropolis of betraying them for 17 years.

Biswas Dhungana, a protester at the dumping site in Bancharedanda, said: “We have been forced to live like pigs in yucky conditions for several years as the government has not done anything to keep the village clean.”

On Wednesday, hundreds of locals erected a barrier of rocks on the road to Bancharedanda and stopped almost 200 garbage trucks. The vehicles had to return without dumping waste at the landfill site.

Local media reported that protesters also pelted stones from hilltops, injuring three police personnel. Police, in turn, fired teargas shells to disperse the crowd.

Sunil Lamsal, a local official, said: “We are coordinating with the protesters and will invite them for talks to resolve the problem.”

The garbage disposal at Bancharedanda was halted again on Thursday, according to Nepal Live Today.

The huge piles of waste on the streets of Kathmandu may lead to outbreaks of communicable and vector-borne diseases, experts say. The upcoming onset of monsoon might make matters worse.

Additional reporting by agencies