The Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the largest and most densely populated in the country, has become cleaner and better managed compared to the past. Waste management, which had been a perennial problem, seems to have been solved as pedestrians neither have to cover their noses nor to stumble on the heap of garbage dumped on the roads.

The city has become almost dust-free, traffic islands have become green and colourful due to flowers, pavements have become hassle-free, street lights have been repaired, and haphazard hoarding boards and signboards, which had caused visual pollution, have been removed.

Likewise, road accidents as a result of stray cows have decreased. Paved with tiles, walkways have been beautified. Sweeping of roads using broomers and staff, swift garbage removal, and covering potholes have become regular features.

The credit for all this goes to Balendra Shah, the mayor who promised to turn Kathmandu into the world’s most beautiful and excellent city following his triumph in the 2022 local-level elections.

Here is all you need to know about the recent measures taken to keep the city clean.

Hiring of 300 cleaning staff

The metropolitan city has recently hired 300 cleaning staff—150 men and 150 women—who are being deployed to collect waste discarded at public places, including roadsides and riversides.

The metropolis has also been using 100 workers deployed under the Prime Minister Employment Programme, the national flagship scheme introduced in 2019 that guarantees employment to registered unemployed people. They are tasked with clearing dust and weeds from pavements.

“We have collected tons of litter from public places—hills around Swayambhunath temple, roadsides, riversides, Pashupatinath temple premises, among other places,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of Environment of the KMC. “We are also planning to clean the city’s major road squares and public places.”

The concerned city department has also been using broomer machines to dust off the roads.

Waste segregation

The metropolis has started segregating household waste into biodegradable and non-degradable varieties at its waste transfer station in Teku. Non-degradable waste such as plastic and metal will be sold while the biodegradable portion will be transferred to the dumping site at Sisdole, officials said.

“Some degradable waste is being used in the bio-methanation plant provided by the European Union,” said Shrestha. “We plan to generate 14 kilowatts of electricity from the gas generated.”

Waste segregation at the source was one of the measures Mayor Balendra Shah touted as a solution to Kathmandu’s chronic garbage problem. After he assumed office, Shah asked city residents to start segregating waste at the source. They started doing so, using separate bins in their homes. But the plan didn’t work, largely due to a lack of preparation on the KMC’s part.

4,000 dustbins in public places

The metropolis is preparing to place 4,000 dustbins in public areas around the city, with the goal of making the capital city cleaner. The KMC routinely installs some large dustbins in public places, but it will be the first time thousands of bins will be placed at once. Officials hope pedestrians can dispose of cigarette butts, packets of chewing tobacco and other rubbish in the dustbins.

Shelter for stray cows and dogs

Traffic accidents due to stray cows have become rare. This is because the KMC has built a shelter in Dakshinkali Municipality for stray cows. Currently, 14 calves, some old cows and a buffalo are sheltered there.

“One male buffalo, which was brought to Kathmandu for meat, suddenly fled and ran amok,” said Dr Awadesh Jha, chief of the Agriculture and Veterinary Department of the metropolis. “The owner declined to claim ownership, as the animal had damaged the city’s infrastructure. It is being kept at the shelter.”

Some employees have been deployed to care for the cattle; the shelter can accommodate 100 cows.

The KMC has also made a shelter for stray dogs, where injured and violent dogs can be kept. Officials said that the metropolis has already built a shelter for around 50 dogs and has ordered another to house 100 dogs. Apart from this, the city office has sterilised 4,300 dogs in the past two months. Plus, around 12,000 dogs in the metropolis have been administered the anti-rabies vaccine.

Ban on plastic-wrapped tobacco

The city office has imposed a complete ban on the sale of tobacco products wrapped in plastics in the areas under its jurisdiction from December 13. The decision aligns with Clause 42 of the Public Health Act enforced this year.

“Implementation of this decision helps improve public health, control pollution and beautify the city,” said Ram Prasad Poudel, chief of the municipal health department.

Poudel said that in the first phase, the metropolis will enforce a complete ban on the sale and distribution of tobacco products packaged in plastic bags—substances such as khaini, gutkha, pan parag, and tobacco products of similar nature.

However, the Patan High Court on Friday stayed the municipal move to ban the sale of tobacco products in the Capital.

Greenery, dangling cables, footpaths

Traffic islands have been renovated and decorated with green plants and colourful flowers. Bridges have been coloured and decorated with flowers and flower pots.

Footpaths too are being repaired and paved.

Service providers started removing dangling internet and cable television wires a few months ago following repeated warnings from the metropolis. The mess of the wires tied to the electricity poles tarnishes the city’s beauty and poses a fire risk. The stray wires have been managed in some places, while efforts are being made to manage the rest.

Likewise, footpath business has been prohibited, which also helped to keep the city clean and clutter-free. Of course, there are also plenty of critics of Shah’s ban on roadside vendors, an initiative often labelled ‘cruel’ and ‘inhumane’.

The yet-to-do list

Experts and urban planners agree that the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has become visibly cleaner. The problem of dust and smoke has largely been tackled.

“Credit for this goes to the leadership of the metropolis,” said Kishore Thapa, a former government secretary who has expertise in urban planning. “Some improvements can be also seen in managing the messy footpaths and other public places.”

But there is also much that remains to be done. Incompleted tracks for blind pedestrians, unplanned tree plantation in narrow pavements, random parking of vehicles and dumping of construction and other materials along footpaths are still big problems in the city.

Experts also say more could be done to manage traffic lights, vehicular traffic and parking. Unless the metropolis can succeed in addressing those problems, which have become chronic, expected results cannot be achieved, they argue.

“Management and conservation of open spaces, improvement of local roads and infrastructure, proper parking arrangement, management of traffic congestion, issues of public toilets, river pollution—the list of things that need to be improved is long,” Thapa added.