Laxmi Acharya of Siddharthanagar Municipality Ward No. 9 has been struggling to manage her household waste for the past week.

“Garbage collectors haven’t come to pick up waste in the last week. Sacks of waste are lying at our house, giving a foul smell,” said Acharya. Like Archarya, every household in Siddharthanagar Municipality is facing a similar problem.

The municipality had been dumping garbage at the Paklihawa area, which lies in the border of Siddharthanagar Municipality Ward No. 1 and 2. But locals of Paklihawa have been stopping garbage tractors from disposing of waste at the area, citing that haphazard disposal of garbage has affected the environment.

Ramesh Malla, ward chairman of Siddharthanagar Municipality Ward No. 1, said many residents of Paklihawa have been affected by the unmanaged garbage disposal system.

“The area has been greatly polluted by the garbage. Locals have been demanding us to address the issue,” said Malla.

There are more than 15,000 households in Siddharthanagar. Piles of garbage have popped up in every street of the municipality, posing serious public health risks.

Dr Rajendra Kumar Giri, chief at the District Health Office in Rupandehi, said, “Unmanaged garbage increases the risk of people getting various diseases like diarrhoea and typhoid.”

The municipality produces around 35 to 40 quintals of garbage on a daily basis. Hari Prasad Adhikari, the municipality mayor, said his office has been holding discussions with the locals and concerned stakeholders to address the problem.

“Waste management has become a serious problem not only in Sidhharthanagar but in the entire district,” said Adhikari. “All local units should work together to find a solution to the problem.”

Three years ago, the municipality had planned to construct an advanced waste processing centre in Patkhauli to manage waste. But locals and leaders of various political parties protested against the proposal and the plan was cancelled.