The government has been wasting millions of rupees on collecting and dumping garbage from the Valley for the last four decades even when reusing and recycling of waste could add millions to the state coffers.
Authorities, who first began collecting waste from Valley households in 1970, are yet to embrace new technology that could help avoid hazards of landfills and reduce financial burden on the government.
“More than 600 metric tonnes of waste is generated daily in the Valley. More than 80 per cent of it can be recycled and reused to make millions of rupees,” said Sumitra Amatya, executive director at Solid Waste Management Technical Support Centre.
“We are spending millions of rupees on collecting and dumping waste,” she said.
More than Rs 400 million is spent every year on collecting and dumping Valley’s waste, she informed.
As various parts of the country witness rapid urbanisation, the government should have changed its approach to waste long time back. However, it is still not ready to give up the out-dated model.
“Landfills have a telling effect on human health, water and air. Garbage reduces the fertility of the soil,” said Amatya.
“All this is taking place at a time when waste could be used to produce biogas and fertilisers,” she said.
Amatya further said that the government attempted in 2009 to set up a refuse-fuelled plant in the Kathmandu Valley under public-private partnership. But the project hit a snag after the Indo-Nepal joint-venture comprising Hydroair Tectonics (PCD) Ltd, India and Kasturi Trade Link, Kathmandu, which stood first in the final bidding, was declared ineligible to carry out the DPR in mid-June after the government found that the company fell short on details submitted during the bidding process.
Then a second joint venture company — Communication OY in association with POYRY, BIOSTE and Organic Village — was selected and a memorandum of understanding signed on June 19 to carry out the DPR. Hydroair and its partners filed a writ at the Supreme Court on June 19 against the government decision.
“The door is still open to move the project forward. However, the government has not taken any further action. If the government allocates only about Rs 2 million for filed study, the process can be forwarded,” added Amtaya.
