Garbage overflowing onto the streets across Lahan Bazaar in Siraha district has not been collected for the past 26 days owing to a protest led by residents of Ward 4. The residents have been demanding authorities to relocate the waste management centre from their locality or manage the waste through a proper scientific method.
The municipality had been using the waste management centre at Ward 4 as a dumping ground for the past five years. But ever since the protest, Lahan-4 along with the rest of the town has turned into a dumping ground for lack of an alternate waste management centre.
The locals of Lahan-4 have been protesting outside the municipality office for almost a month now, asking the municipality to take responsibility of the garbage dumped at the gates of the garbage management centre and in the town area.
“The locals were compelled to protest against the municipality since the piled up garbage was generating toxic fumes, posing health risks to nearby settlements,” said Ramnath Pandit, ward chairman of Lahan-4.
Every street and market place in the town is now littered with garbage. The locals fear a possible outbreak of disease. Through their protest, they urged the municipality to immediately find ways to solve the garbage disposal issue.
The municipality had formed a seven-member committee two months ago to find an alternative to the current dumping site. But the committee failed to find one. “Efforts are on to find an alternative dumping site,” Pandit said.