Valley
KMC gets down to ‘clean and green’ business
Weeks after getting the newly-elected mayor, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), the country’s largest metropolis, is introducing some new measures for improving environment of the city.Weeks after getting the newly-elected mayor, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), the country’s largest metropolis, is introducing some new measures for improving environment of the city.
The KMC plans to buy five new street broomer vehicles, building new public toilets and planting trees shortly, according to KMC Spokesperson Gyanendra Karki.
“We have formed a committee comprising experts from the KMC, the Department of Transport Management and the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk,” said Karki. “The committee will recommend broomer vehicles suitable for the streets of Kathmandu.”
While the Ministry of Finance has already allocated Rs90 million for the purchase of broomer vehicles, the KMC will arrange the remaining amount, he said.
Having started removing mobile toilets that are not in operation from different areas in Kathmandu, the
KMC has instructed its Environment Division to immediately set up temporary public toilets and submit a work plan on building more public toilets in different parts in the city.
Last year, the KMC had identified 41 places in Kathmandu for building new public toilets but the works have not begun yet, said KMC’s Environment Division chief Rabin Man Shrestha.
Soon after assuming office, Mayor Bidhya Sunder Shakya had launched the ‘Clean City’ campaign from Bansbari. Under the campaign, the KMC has been cleaning certain sections of Kathmandu streets twice a day.
However, environmentalists say that just sweeping dust is not enough. Bhushan Tuladhar, an environmentalist and Regional Technical Advisor South Asia at UN-Habitat, said that the KMC needs to come up with innovative ideas for tangible results. “Cleaning streets for dust control is only a part of the bigger picture. Only cleaning streets with broomer vehicles or manpower won’t be enough,” said Tuladhar, adding, “KMC already has broomers which have not been used.”
Tuladhar stressed the need of waste minimisation programmes to check on dust and other garbage at their sources.
The KMC is launching the tree plantation programme on Friday by planting 20 trees in Ward 3 in the metropolis.