BIRATNAGAR, July 20: The project to generate energy from waste matter at Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City (BSMC) has been left in a lurch even though necessary study has already been conducted for its implementation.
“There have been some disturbances in the program because private companies have taken over to manage the city waste,” Anita Neupane, chief at the environment section of BSMC, said. “They want to implement the program but we have not yet decided about their proposal.” Although BSMC had cancelled its former tender, it has not decided to invite new tender yet.
The project is a tripartite deal between BSMC, Alterative Energy Promotion Center and Green Filed Inc. Among 0.142 kg/day per capita household waste generation, about 77% of waste is organic, 10.41% is paper, 7.90% is plastics and other categories hold minimal percentages. According to the study, about 8000 cubic metric of biogas can be produced from the overall 70 metric ton of city waste.
Although BSMC has come up with such an ambitious project, the metropolitan city does not have any waste management quarters. Most of the wastes are dumped at Kesalya pond and this has put a heavy toll on the nearby locals. They have to cope up with the unnecessary stenches and hygiene problems.
However, it is not the first time that BSMC has come up with such waste management projects. The Sub-Metropolitan City had built compost chamber for making organic manures from the city wastes but the implementation did not materialize because of failure in technological aspects.
The failure has not only killed the hopes of locals and municipality officials for a sustainable management but has also proved a huge loss on BSMC's investment.
In fact, many initiatives have been taken by BSMC but most of them have not been put into proper use. Wastes continue to be piled around city ponds after the cancellation of construction of landfill site by the BSMC.
The sub metropolitan city has not come up with any sustainable plans for the city's waste management.
