Kathmandu, Nov 20: The government and local residents of Bancharedanda have reached an 11-point agreement on Tursday.
According to the agreement, the government will take immediate decisions and correspondences regarding past legal cases filed against local residents. It will also instruct the consultant company to expedite the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and obtain written commitments from the firm. Additionally, provisions will be made in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget for land acquisition as recommended in the EIA report.
Similarly, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) will be requested to provide compensation for houses, sheds, and crops of Bancharedanda locals for FY 2082/83 BS. KMC has also decided that, within one month, highly affected locals of Bancharedanda will receive compensation for houses, sheds, and crops at current market rates, following the same criteria previously used for the Sisdol-affected area.
Locals had complained that waste was being dumped beyond the designated capping layer, with surrounding hills being cut down, causing leachate to flow directly into water sources and pollute the Kolpu River—severely affecting livelihoods. In response, the government has agreed to immediately stop such activities, bring those responsible under legal action, and deploy a team of experts within 15 days to inspect the field and work toward a long-term solution for proper leachate management.
The agreement also ensures that highly affected residents of Banchare and Sisdol will be provided free treatment for any illness at any government hospital within Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Likewise, educational institutions within the Kathmandu Valley will be required to allocate mandatory quotas for students from the affected areas within one month.
To create employment opportunities for locals impacted by the Banchare landfill site, the issue will be presented as an agenda item in meetings of the Mayors’ Forum or the Ministry. Furthermore, KMC will be requested to increase the financial support provided to the two municipalities from Rs 30 million to Rs 60 million each, and to include Belkotgadhi Municipality in the next fiscal budget. The Ministry of Urban Development will also request other waste-generating municipalities to make mandatory contributions.
A procedure will be prepared to provide immediate relief to families who have lost members to various diseases caused by the waste of Sisdol and Kudule–Bancharedanda. Locals have agreed to immediately remove the obstruction of waste transportation and disposal. Construction of the Teenpipley–Kumari Galchhi Road will be advanced into a multi-year project within the current fiscal year.
Local residents of Bancharedanda have repeatedly protested, accusing the government of ignoring their demands. Just 15 days ago, Urban Development Minister Kulman Ghising had visited the Bancharedanda landfill site and assured locals that their demands would be addressed. However, as the issues remained unresolved, locals resumed their protests and blocked the transport of Kathmandu’s waste. #waste #garbage
