KATHMANDU, Oct 31: The Kathmandu Valley is once again grappling with a garbage management crisis after locals at Bancharedanda refused to allow waste disposal at the landfill site, citing the government’s failure to implement previous agreements. Waste trucks from Kathmandu have been barred from dumping garbage since Wednesday.
Locals from Kakani Rural Municipality, Dhunibesi Municipality, and Belkotgadhi Municipality jointly obstructed waste disposal, demanding full implementation of earlier commitments. They have declared that no garbage from Kathmandu will be accepted until the agreements are honored.
Following spontaneous protests by residents, local representatives have also joined the movement.
Padam Bahadur Shrestha Balami, Chairperson of Kakani Rural Municipality-1, said they are supporting the demands of local citizens and working to address them.
“We have repeatedly reminded authorities to implement the agreements made in the past,” he said. “But no one paid attention until we stopped the waste trucks. Now the people themselves have taken to the streets, and we will stand with them until this issue is resolved.”
Balami criticized the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) for remaining silent despite the obstruction of waste management for the past two days.
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“We are in discussions with the locals and working to meet their demands,” he said. “However, no representatives from the concerned authorities in the Kathmandu Valley have shown any interest. The locals are simply asking for the implementation of the previous agreement, and we are fully committed to ensuring that.”
Locals said they have not made any new demands but are insisting on the fulfilment of the 18-point agreement signed earlier. They emphasized that their area should not be treated merely as a dumping ground for Kathmandu’s waste and vowed not to allow garbage disposal under any circumstances.
On Wednesday, nearly 100 garbage trucks were turned back, and vehicles arriving on Thursday were also stopped from entering the site.
Residents and representatives of all three local units—Kakani, Dhunibesi, and Belkotgadhi—have pledged to continue their protest until their demands are met. A meeting was held on Thursday among local representatives, residents, and security officials to discuss the issue.
Balami said, “We spent the whole day listening to the concerns of the locals. The Chief District Officer and Assistant CDO from Dhadingbesi were also present. We showed them the current condition of the landfill and relayed the people’s grievances. We are trying to resolve the problem, but if the authorities continue to ignore it, the situation could worsen.”
The 18-point agreement reached between KMC and local residents
The 18-point agreement was reached after Balendra Shah (Balen) was elected Mayor of KMC. At that time, when garbage collection had stalled, Mayor Balen personally visited Bancharedanda and signed the deal.
The Ministry of Urban Development and KMC held several rounds of talks before signing the agreement. Mayor Balen and Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol signed the document, which included key provisions such as managing the odor from waste within a month, preventing leachate from mixing into nearby streams, properly managing leachate within two months, and ensuring that waste-collection vehicles do not leak leachate on the roads.
The agreement also addressed the need for waste-transportation infrastructure, settlement management, and measures to make the daily lives of locals easier. It further promised programs to improve living standards through social and health initiatives, enhance education quality, promote agriculture, and develop green zones.
The deal also required segregation of waste at the source—only non-decomposable waste to be sent to the landfill, while decomposable waste was to be managed by KMC itself. However, the metropolis has so far failed to fully enforce waste segregation.
Locals said the agreement has remained only on paper. While the metropolis initially carried out some infrastructure-related work, it has since stopped taking action.
Now, both locals and their representatives are taking a stronger stance, saying that if past agreements are not implemented, they will reject both garbage disposal and development projects.
“This is not a new issue,” said Ward Chair Balami. “These are the same demands that the authorities themselves signed and committed to. But instead of implementation, they have continued their negligence. Now we neither want their waste nor their so-called development. We won’t continue living on piles of garbage just to keep Kathmandu clean.”
He also questioned why no one has shown concern for the health of the residents.
“We have tried to address the issue positively, but the authorities have ignored us,” he said. “If this continues, they can keep their waste in their own city. Our people will no longer live surrounded by filth.”
