Garbage Accumulation and Bad Odor in Pokhara Due to Two-Day Halt in Waste Collection; Thursday’s Flood Spreads Trash Across Streets

May 22, Pokhara – When heavy rains hit, roads in Pokhara often face flooding. Due to the hilly terrain, the drainage canals beside the roads cannot handle the volume of water, leading to submerged streets and disruptions to transportation. Several small vehicles have been stranded or washed away on the roads.

On Thursday evening, intense rainfall caused flood-like flows across roads in Pokhara. Areas such as New Road, Mahendrapool, Prithvichowk, Sabhagriha, and Lakeside were submerged. Along with rainwater, piles of garbage also floated on the streets.

Even after the rainfall stopped, garbage remained scattered on Pokhara’s streets. While some cleaning occurred in certain locations on Friday morning, many areas still had trash scattered throughout the morning. Flooding during rains and scattered garbage with resulting foul odors have become a persistent issue in Pokhara.

The lack of sustainable waste management in Pokhara causes regular accumulation of garbage on the streets, detracting from the beauty of this popular tourist destination.

Although waste management was ongoing in Pokhara-21, why did this problem reoccur? Prabhat Lamichhane, head of the Waste Management Branch of Pokhara Metropolitan City, explains, “Due to failure to collect garbage for two days in Pokhara-21, citizens dumped their waste on the streets, creating a scattered mess.”

Challenges to Sustainable Waste Management Solutions

Permanent waste management was underway at Lameahal in Pokhara-32, but after that site reached capacity, the metropolitan city now needs to find a new location.

Efforts to transport waste to various locations were met with local opposition, resulting in waste needing to be managed at multiple sites across Pokhara from mid-December to mid-March. Temporary disposal sites were used in Pokhara-14, Prithvichowk, and Dobilla areas.

In March, an agreement was reached to manage waste on private land in Pokhara-21. Despite protests, waste disposal continued there. The site, located on steep terrain, involved placing fencing and dumping garbage from above.

However, two days ago, residents of Dobilla demanded a halt to the work due to the foul odor. Excavator work to manage the waste site began but was interrupted.

“While working, the excavator got stuck at the site. Despite significant efforts, it could not be restarted and the work had to be stopped,” said Hark Gaikwad of the Waste Management Branch. “We will bring another excavator and resume the waste collection work today.”

Currently, efforts are underway to clear the trash scattered across various streets in Pokhara by Thursday’s floods.

Under current waste management practices, garbage is expected to fill again within five to six months, but the metropolitan city has not yet finalized a permanent solution.

Waste Processing Plant Project Also Stalled

A permanent waste processing plant had been planned in Pokhara-33, and land was secured for the project. However, local opposition and other issues have brought the project to a halt.

An agreement to build the plant with an investment of NPR 800 million on 70 ropani of land was signed on December 17 between Pokhara Metropolitan City and Terrasolve Renewal Pvt. Ltd, under a public-private partnership. But protests, agitation, and allegations of corruption have stalled the project.

From 2023 onward, 96 ropani of land owned by 17 landowners was reserved for the establishment of the plant.

To secure the land temporarily, the metropolitan city sent NPR 5.5 million to ward chair Ramchandra’s account, a transaction which became public, prompting the chairperson and Mayor Acharya to reconcile the matter. However, local residents had already taken the temporary lease money.

Now, there is a need to recover that advance payment. Meanwhile, the metropolitan city is moving forward with processes to establish a permanent landfill site, again in Pokhara-32.