Bagmati corridor re-encroached, authorities onlookers

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, November 27

Once cleared out Bagmati corridor tracks from Tilganga to Dhobighat at Shankhamul have been again encroached. However, the concerned authorities are not more than the onlookers to this situation.

According to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the houses and huts were removed from within the 20 metre area along the each side of the Bigmati river for developing the corridor roads about six years ago. "People started encroaching again but the concerned authorities are only the mute spectators," said the KMC officials.

The Department of Road under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, and the KMC under the Ministry of Local Development are responsible bodies that have planed to construct corridor roads along both sides of the Bagmati river. Its length measures 6Km from Tilganga to Dhobighat.

DSP Dhana Pati Sapkota, chief of the Enforcement Department in the KMC and City Police, said that the DoR was solely responsible for this negligence. "Only 2Km out of 6Km corridor from Koteshwor to Balkumari remains not encroached," said Sapkota. "I am supervising in this section where my living belongs to," he added.

A KMC official informed that ED was also responsible to monitor the area. "The DoR has not asked us for inspecting and removing the ineligible settlements along the road," said Sapkota. "However, it will not be easy to remove them again as it was cleared earlier," he added. "It would be better to demarcate the road area well after the clearance."

Tulasi Prasad Sitaula, Director General at the DoR, said that the Empowered High Level Bagmati Civilisation Integrated Development Committee was solely responsible to this concern. "The committee has been given legal authority to execute every activity," he said.

The committee was formed only about a year ago. Earlier, the DOR and KMC were operating the corridor project. The committee has come up with visionary plans to work on the project, according to the EHLBCIDC.

Mahesh Bahadur Basnet, chairman of the EHLBCIDC, said that the KMC and City Planning Committee were the genuine responsible bodies to check the encroachment of the land. "The KMC made mistake while demarcating the space of theriver," he said. "We have written letters to both of the bodies in relation to this issue," he added.

Basnet said that the committee has been working seriously to sort out the problem. "A committee coordinated by the Prime Minister has been formed to execute the works and tabled in the cabinet. The committee will begin its activities once after the cabinet approves it," he said. "We need help from locals and political parties to make the plans successful," he said.

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People suffer from govt apathy to public concern

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, November 25

The major city junctions and roads are littered with human excreta. However, the plans of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City to build two dozens of toilets in the public private partnership (PPP) has been jeopardised due to the negligence of three concerned ministries.

"Our plans to construct public toilets in the PPP modality went in vain as other concerned ministries did not allow us to use public land," said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of the Environment Management Department at the KMC. "We forwarded proposals many times but in vain."

Deepak KC, coordinator of the UNDP supported PPP Urban Environment section in KMC, said that the agreements were made with Kanchan Trade Link, and Arati & Company about four years ago to build 20 such public toilets in different places.

"However, only three toilets could be built yet," said KC. AC has been successfully operating two toilets at Ratna Park and Chabahil while KTL at Bhotahity. "They are very interested to build more toilets as it is lucrative business," he added.

These busy junctions include Kalanki, Gaushala, Babarmahal, Bagbazaar, Maharajgunj, Balaju and Koteshwor among others. "General people are facing difficulties in the absence of toilets in such public places," said KC. "On the other hand, the streets are polluted with stinking urine and stools," he worried.

"We could not provide the lands to the private companies after the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, Ministry of Labour and Transport and Ministry of Home Affairs did not approve our proposal," said KC. "MoPPW is main responsible ministry to approve our proposal," said Shrestha.

Hari Prasad Sharma, spokesperson for the MoPPW, said that he was completely ignorant about the issue. "We can not allow them to build toilets at Kalanki, Balaju and Maharjgunj at present time due to some technical problems," he said. "We will study on the case for other places. Then we can allow them to construct the toilets in appropriate places," he added.

The KMC, which is equally responsible towards public concerns, has also failed to maintain the existing toilets built in different busy places in the city. "We are suffering from the lack of facilities of public toilets," said Bharat Dangal, 58, a commuter hailed from Dolakha. "I had to suffer too much in resisting the nature's calls after I failed to find a toilet last year when I came to shop goods here," he added.

There are about three dozens of public toilets in different places including in business complexes and centres. Some 16 toilets are stationed at public places in KMC, according to the EMD. All of them are in a sorry state and not in usable condition, said Shrestha, admitting their negligence. "We need to replace them with new ones. Therefore, we are thinking of rebuilding them with new system in those places," he added.

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Korean govt setting up RDF plant in Lalitpur

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Lalitpur, September 17

The ENVICO, a South Korea government organisation has been carrying out a feasibility study to set up RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) plant in Lalitpur. The RDF plant to be fuelled with 30 metric tons of garbage is taken as a technology transfer to Nepal.

“A team of consultants hired by the ENVICO body has been carrying out feasibility study to establish waste-to-energy facility (RDF manufacture) construction project in Lalitpur,” said senior engineer Prabin Shrestha of the Urban Development Division at the Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City. “The plant will be set up in assistance with the Korean government,” he added.

According to the LSMC, the plant site will be at Sundarighat of LSMC-4. “The study will be completed by the end of December,” said Pradip Amatya, chief at the Environment Division of the LSMC. “After developing all the strategies, the setting up of the plant will be started from the next fiscal year that begins on mid-July,” he said.

LALITPUR: Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City is all set to prohibit plastic bags in certain areas. “We have planned to prohibit plastic bags in some areas in the initial phase,” said Pradip Amatya, chief at the Environment Division of the LSMC. The areas are five government schools-Namuna Machhindra, Yashodhara, Shramik Shanti, Bal Binod and Nilnath, and two departmental stores-Namste and Everest, according to the LSMC. The plastic bags were already banned at the Central Zoo, Jawalakhel. -- BPA

The feasibility study of Rs 40 million began from last December. “The plant to produce gas, electricity, energy and manure will be of Rs 210 million project, which will be provided by the Korean government,” said Amatya. “The construction of the plant will be completed within two years,” he added.

A team of LSMC visited South Korea to observe the RDF plants on the last week of July. Now, a Korean team is in the city in a bid to speed up the activities of the project, said Shrestha. “If the local people will allow us, the plant will be established in the city.”

Amatya said that the LSMC had already sent the documents to the Ministry of Local Development for the permission to open plant. “The MoLD and Ministry of Finance has permitted us to set up the plant,” he said.

This project has come into existence at a time when the government is planning to allow private sector to set up garbage-fuelled plant for the sustainable management of the waste in the Kathmandu valley. The government has recently formed a high level committee to deal with the private sector, which is likely to begin the process to construct a 500 metric-ton garbage-fuelled plant in mid-December.

Dr Sumitra Amatya, general manager of the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre under the MoLD, said that the 30 metric-ton plant would not be capable to solve the valley garbage where more than 600 metric tons of waste is produced. “We will keep on our project,” she, who is member secretary of the high level committee, said.

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UN to pay experts for garbage management

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Lalitpur, September 15

The Public-Private Partnership Urban Environment, an INGO under United Nations is committed to pay the three experts of the government committee to deal with the private sectors for the garbage management.

“The PPPUE has assured us to pay the three experts to be hired for dealing with the private sector to set up garbage-fuelled energy plant,” said Dr Sumitra Amatya, General Manager at the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre under the Ministry of Local Development. “Each of them will be paid Rs 200,000 for the tenure of three months,” Amatya, who is member-secretary of the committee, said.

The government has already formed a five-member high level special empowered garbage management committee, headed by Dr Dinesh Chandra Devkota, member of the National Planning Commission. Other members include MoLD secretary Krishna Gyawali; Niranjan Baral, executive chief of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City; secretaries of the Ministries of Land Reforms, Physical Planning and Environment.

Dr Amatya said that they would include three experts in the committee to prepare the Terms of Reference (ToR) for dealing with the private sector. “We have recommended the names of nine experts to the PPPUE for their payment as per the PPPUE rules. Among them, we will finalise the names of three experts tomorrow, who will be hired as the committee members,” she said.

The government has been working to involve the private sector in managing the valley garbage by setting up energy plant. According to the MoLD, the agreement between the government and the private sector will be signed by mid-December. Then the energy plant will be set up within two years.

Amatya said that they were discussing on the publication of call for expression of interest (EoI) from the interested firms to establish garbage-fuelled plant. “Then we will shortlist the interested companies for the final competition,” she added.

More than a dozen of private companies have already shown interests to set up garbage-fuelled plant.

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Garbage-fuelled power plant in offing

12-odd private firms keen on project that may rid valley of waste woes

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
LALITPUR, August 15

More than 10 private companies have shown interest to set up an energy plant fuelled by the Kathmandu Valley’s garbage. Up to 600 metric tonnes of garbage is produced in the valley daily.
Dr Sumitra Amatya, General Manager, Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre under the Ministry of Local Development, told The Himalayan Times that 12-odd companies and some individuals had submitted proposals for setting up garbage-fed energy plant in the valley. She, however, added that tender for the project was yet to be floated.
The companies who have submitted their proposals are Chaudhary Group Infra (I), Chaudhary Group (II), Panchkanya Group, Triveni Byapar, Action Nepal, Environment Development Research Pvt Ltd, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Changu Garbage Power Plant, Communication O Y, Nepal Environment and Energy Management, Bhusal Urja Company Pvt Ltd, KL Dugar Pvt Ltd and a few individuals.
“All of them have demanded a clear law, exemption of taxes, formation of high-level committee, supply of at least 400 metric tonnes of garbage everyday and purchase of products and electricity by the government,” said Amatya. “The government has already decided to bring appropriate law, exempt taxes and provide land for the plant,” she added.
To set up the plant, Panchkanya Group has proposed to merge municipal staff in its company and has not demanded any land from the government. CG (I) has proposed to build the plant for Rs 4.80 billion, demanding 20 hectares of land from the government. Action Nepal has proposed to use Canadian plasma technology, Triveni has demanded 30 acres of land, and CG (II) has proposed to set the plant on 25 ropanis of government land.
The MoLD has registered a proposal with the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to form an empowered waste management committee to work on scientific disposal of garbage. “The next meeting of the cabinet is likely to approve the formation of committee, which will float tender,” said Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, spokesman for the MoLD.
The amendment bill of the Waste Management Act involving the private sector in garbage disposal has already been forwarded to the Ministry of Law and Justice, said Dipendra Bahadur Oli, legal officer at the SWMRMC. “The MoLJ will forward it to the cabinet within a week. After cabinet approval the parliament will endorse it,” said Oli. “The current parliament session will pass the bill.”
Dr Amatya hopes that by mid-November, the committee will sign an agreement with the selected company to establish energy plant within two years.

This news was published in The Himalayan Times on August 16, 2009.

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