Municipal Waste Treatment Culture In Nepal

Abstract

Nepal is a small landlocked country with unique bio diversity. Due to rapid urbanization in the last decades, lack of concrete government policies on waste management and lack of awareness among general public, Nepal is facing a huge problem of waste management. Waste separation virtually does not exist in Nepal at all. Wastes such as battery, electronic devices are collected in a common container to be dumped in landfill sites. In big municipalities such as Pokhara and Kathmandu sewage and human waste are directly connected to river. Such actions are short-term solution and there is a dire need to find a sustainable solution to these problems. Municipal solid waste is of particular problem among Nepalese municipalities.

Solid waste management can be a big opportunity for Nepal as its population is moving towards urban areas and proper strategy on implementing waste management means jobs for thousands of people across the country. Solid waste management is not an easy task and it includes a long-term vision and technology. Integrated Solid Waste Management which considers the existing condition of a certain place and environment to execute a plan to manage waste is necessary. This thesis work examines the situation of municipal waste in one of the rapidly urbanized municipality of Nepal, Nepalgunj. It also compares waste management situation in other municipalities. The data from Asian Development Bank in the year 2011 gives an estimate on waste generation in different municipalities in Nepal and the composition of waste. This data was utilized to form a clear picture on what kind of strategy Nepalese municipalities would have to take for the waste management. The important concepts like reuse, recycle and reduce (3R) are discussed in the context of Nepal in this thesis.