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R4D Blog: Event Recap

Voices of Stakeholders on SWMP, Nepal

Yamuna Ghale, PhD (Nepal Project Leader)

Drishti Upreti, MA (Researcher)

Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research (NCCR)

When was this event?

This event was held on 31st October, 2021, Sunday

Where was this event?

This event was held at Shangrila Blu Hotel, Bakhundole, Lalitpur, Nepal

Who attended the event and who organized it (all parties)?

The event was jointly organized by Centre for Integrated Urban Development (CIUD) and Nepal

Centre for Contemporary Research (NCCR). The event was attended by i) local government

representatives of landfill sites such as

Kakani Rural Municipality of Nuwakot and

Dhunibesi Municipality of Dhading; ii)

government authorities from Kathmandu

Metropolitan City, Kirtipur, Kakani Rural

Municipality and Dhunibesi Municipality; iii)

representatives of private waste management

companies; iv) members of cooperative

working on SWM; and v) government staffs

of Sisdol landfill site health post.

Why was the event held?

The event was held as a part of R4D project “challenges of municipal solid waste management:

learning from post-crisis governance in South Asia” to share the mid-term findings of the project

to the major stakeholders.

What were the objectives of the event?

The main objective of the event was to share the mid-term findings among the concerned

stakeholders for any updates and collect their views, feedback and suggestions on the findings.

Do you think these objectives were met? If yes/no please explain why.

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Yes, these objectives were met as the programme witnessed full participation of representatives

from all the sectors. Representatives from each sector were given the floor to share their personal

opinions on the research findings and the overall issue related to the waste management.

A brief overview of the agenda and discussion that took place:

Major agendas:

1. Three tier government (federal, provincial and local): their role in waste management

after federalization

2. Context/research: which areas of the study need further updates and research needs?

3. Informed participation: How to work on meaningful and inclusive participation of all

concerned stakeholders in the SWM cycle?

4. Gender participation: How to make women’s meaningful participation in the overall

waste value-chain from collection to disposal, formal recognition of women waste

workers and their networks and minimizing wage gap between men and women.

Discussion and voices of stakeholders:

The stakeholder meeting was opened up with the special

remarks from Dr. Bishnu Raj Upreti, Executive Chair of

the Policy Research Institute (Government Think Tank)

on policy issues related to SWM and interconnected role

of three tiers of government (Federal, Provincial, Local).

Local level government representatives:

“The locals of Sisdol and Dhunibesi have been deceived.

Initially it was agreed to manage the waste of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) in a

scientific manner in Sisdol temporarily for two years and take Bancharedanda as a sanitary

landfill site1. It was also decided that the locals living in the worst affected areas would be

provided employment under “1 house, 1 employment”

scheme. In addition to this, they would be provided with

crop insurance, livestock insurance, build 25-bed

hospital in Sisdol and provide treatment to people

suffering from various diseases at free of cost. It was also

agreed that every year 2 km road would be blacktopped

in the worst affected wards. Similarly, free education to

the students studying in the worst affected areas was also

raised.” “Waste and humans cannot live together”.

1 Sanitary landfill site: where waste is isolated away from the environment where disposal of municipal solid waste

is done in a controlled manner. After the completion, the landfill is capped with a layer of clay or synthetic liner in

order to prevent spillage of leachate.

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“Currently, various kinds of waste including human corpses are also brought to the landfill site.

Likewise, hospital wastes are also being dumped in a chaotic manner. Due to this, citizen’s right

to life has been violated.” (Chandra Bahadur Balami, Ward Chairperson, Kakani Rural

Municipality-1).

“A sole landfill site-engineer is taking the responsibility for infrastructural development works of

the landfill site and 400 waste vehicles. However, the roles of three tier government (federal,

provincial and local) remain unclear and no placement of human resources to manage overall

SWM related issues to be dealt efficiently”. Likewise, SWM is not reflected as a priority of the

local governments and no budgets allocated for. “In Kirtipur, only 0.02% of the budget has been

allocated meant for waste management.” (Gyan Bazra Maharjan, Focal waste person, Kirtipur

Municipality).

“The people living around the Sisdol-Bancharedanda landfill

site situated on the border of Kakani rural municipality and

Dhunibesi municipality are not really considered as citizens”.

“Waste trucks are driven in such a chaotic manner that no one

has control over them. These vehicles are often left to be

parked in front of the houses along the local settlement areas.

We are simply disposing the wastes and not managing them.”

(Sita Khatiwada Lama, Vice Chairperson, Kakani Rural

Municipality-2).

“Except for the common people of Bancharedanda,

Kakani rural municipality and Dhunibesi Municipality,

everyone understands what waste is because had the

people there understood the meaning of waste, they would

not have allowed dumping the waste until this stage.”

“KMC has shown “lollipops” to the people of Sisdol for

waste dumping”. “In my 4 years of experience as a local

government representative, I have found lack of

coordination among the different level of stakeholders.

Dhunibesi and Kakani were promised to be provided with ambulances. Though Kakani rural

municipality was given ambulances worth 12 lakh NRs, Dhunibesi was left empty-handed”. In a

nutshell, commitments from federal government and Kathmandu Metropolitan city towards local

government has not fulfilled yet (Bal Krishna Acharya, Mayor, Dhunibesi Municipality-1).

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“For 17 years, a Japanese project had taken the

responsibility for infrastructural development like drinking

water and road of the areas around the landfill site. The

people of Kakani Rural Municipality of Nuwakot and

Dhunibesi Municipality (before Chhatre VDC) of Dhading

were given false assurance that waste would be deposited

for only 2 years at Sisdol’s small land. However, it has

already been 17 years since the wastes from Kathmandu

Valley is being deposited at Sisdol”. “Landfill site has

been constructed in a place that has clean environment”. “If any conflict occurs at Sisdol, the

mayor and deputy mayor of Kathmandu would travel all the way to Sisdol and discuss what

happened holding a press conference which is then broadcasted in the media the same day. The

next day, a meeting is held at the office of KMC where the locals of Sisdol are called upon and

are agreed to be compensated”. “We didn’t realize that the waste from the landfill site was

causing major health impacts on our health leading to cancer”. “There is lack of coordination

between the locals of Sisdol and waste transporters”. “About 1,700 Ropani land has been

acquired in Sisdol for waste dumping without any proper research”. (Chandra Bahadur Tamang,

Ward Chairman, Dhunibesi Municipality-1).

Representative of Sisdol-Bancharedanda landfill site:

“No change has been observed after federalization.” “Though the Local Government

Operations Act, 2017 states that the waste management is the responsibility of the local

government, but waste from 18 municipalities along with few additional municipalities in the

surroundings of Kathmandu Valley still dumped to Sisdol landfill site. The people, animals and

rivers of Nuwakot and Dhading are totally polluted.” “Though the constitution of 2015 gives

people the fundamental right to live in a healthy environment, the future of 50,000 people in

Dhading and Nuwakot is being ruined by the wastes being dumped from Kathmandu Valley.”

(Nawaraj Dhungana, Chairman, Sisdol-Bancharedanda Waste

Management Concerned Committee).

“The government prioritized the construction of major national

highways therefore, overlooking the construction and

management of the landfill site.” (Sharkardeep Shrestha,

engineer at KMC and site in-charge Sisdol landfill site).

Private sector representatives:

“Private sector has been tagged as a commercial/business in the

waste. There is no contract agreement done between the private sector and the local government.

Private waste companies are working on their own discretion to buy waste vehicles. However

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private sector also working with sense of social responsibilities they have for safe and clean

environment” (Nabin Bikas Maharjan, CEO, Blue Waste 2 Value (BW2V)).

“No matter how many programs and projects have been organized and implemented to discuss

the issue related to wastes, waste management has not fallen under the priorities of the

government”. “Waste is associated with culture, society and emotions. If linked as a contract, it

will not work” (Laxmi Prasad Ghimire, spokesperson, NEPSEMAC).

“The local government has no plan, budget or programme

meant for waste management. Most of the programmes are

held at the municipal and ward level, but awareness on

waste management, segregation and 3R policies at the

household level is missing.” “None of the municipalities

have managed its waste on its own. All the wastes end up

at Sisdol.” (Sarab Kumar Maharjan, Director, Kirtipur

Waste Processing Centre).

Representative from cooperative:

“Informal waste workers (IWWs) like us have become

victim of many life-threatening diseases such as cervical

cancer, breast cancer, swelling of hands and fingers,

and child health problems.” “So far, no one is seen

taking responsibility to address the problems of waste

workers. Likewise, women are discriminated against the

wage as well as not recognized as formal actors and

included in the contractual process for partnership with

the municipalities” (Maya Tamang, Manager, Sanyukta

Sarsafai Jaagaran Cooperative Pvt. Ltd (SaSaJa).

Representative of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Environment Division:

“Every organization and individual should perceive waste

management as their personal responsibility.” “The local

government has forgotten their area of work and is more

concerned about infrastructural development works. However,

it is important for them to put waste management in their

priority list.” (Hari Kumar Shrestha, Chief, Environment

Division, KMC).

In brief, what was discussed as a way forward strategy after the event?

• The local government should open the policy path for the waste related workers;

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• It would be better if each municipality takes the responsibility for managing its own

wastes;

• Central government should take the responsibility of formulating laws and policies as

waste management is absent in the institutional architecture. In addition, initiative to

review the existing Solid Waste Management Act 2011 should be made;

• There should be sector-wise responsibility in waste management. Every sector should

realize and be concentrated on the fact that the affected local communities also have the

fundamental right to live. Only then, solutions can be generated;

• More research should be conducted on the percentage of return on investment that has

made by any municipality so far in the waste be it after distributing waste buckets or

systemizing the waste segregation process. Cost-benefit analysis on the number of

municipalities and the percentage of the wastes that each municipality have been able to

reduce that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill site should also be done;

• Source segregation, management of organic wastes at source, engagement in rooftop

farming and reduction of wastes should start at the ward level and work on creating a

model community;

• There must be at least one industry related to waste for social entrepreneurship where

recyclable wastes such as plastic, metal and paper can be recycled within the country.

This helps in the reduction of wastes reaching to the landfill site. Similarly, large number

of women will get employment;

• Research on the health of the IWWs from working in the waste should be conducted;

• Provisions for informal waste workers should be included in the policies. Informal

organizations and cooperative meant for IWWs should be identified as an institution;

• More research on the perception towards the private sector also needs to be conducted;

• SWM has to be in the priority plan of municipalities and at least 2-5% of the budget

needs to be allocated for waste management;

• A conducive environment needs to be created for the private sector for waste

management and beautification of the city;

• Citizens should be provided waste services at zero-cost;

• The State should take the responsibility of addressing the problems of the people of the

worst affected communities and management of wastes. At the same time, decisions

related to their health, education, roads and drinking water should also be borne by the

State; and

• There should be equal level of participation from all representatives including the local

government and the affected local communities including women.