To cope with the increasing amounts of solid waste in three municipalities of Kathmandu Valley, the Government of Nepal approached the Government of Federal Republic of Germany for technical and financial assistance in mid 1970s. In response, Deutsche Gesellschaft Fuer Technische Zusammerarbeit (GTZ) commissioned a study on the status of SWM. In 1976, the first German Expert, Dr. Ing. O. Tabasaran from the University of Stuttgart recommended major reorganization in the present waste management system by the establishment of an autonomous agency in charge of SWM in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur municipalities.

Another German consultant, G. Kroll proposed establishment of a Solid Waste Management Board in accordance with the Development Board Act of HMGN, 1956, in partnership with GTZ .

Based on the studies, the governments of Nepal and Germany agreed jointly to develop a waste disposal system in the Kathmandu Valley.

The Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Project, for the reorganization of waste disposal in the Kathmandu Valley, essentially consisted of four phases of the project, developed in three steps...


A. PHASE – I (1978-1980)

•  STEP I: 1978
  Evaluation of all legal, organizational and other requirements necessary for the establishment of an executing agency, with recommendations to establish the “Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) under the Ministry of Works, Supplies and Transport.

•  STEP II: 1979 - 1980
  A bilateral agreement for Phase I of the Solid Waste Management Project (SWMP) was concluded between the government of Nepal and the government of Germany in December, 1979. Subsequently, the executing agency was founded, Solid Waste Management Board established, and a Nepalese Project Manager nominated to oversee the Project.
  
  The Project commenced in 1980 within the three cities of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur with mainly two objectives:
  
  
• To reduce environmental pollution through collection and disposal of solid waste, with a target collection of 70% in the cities of Greater Kathmandu and Bhaktapur
  
  
• To establish a waste management system based on high degree of resource recovery, by utilizing appropriate technology such as composting, landfilling and recycling.


•  STEP III: 1980 - 1983
  
  
• Establishment of the advisory and technical support of the new executing agency.
  
  
• In 16 wards of Kathmandu and Patan, the SWMP established a waste collections system
  
  
• The evaluation team of BMZ in its report of May 1982 recommended for a long-term financing system, stabilization of the SWM Board, integration of Bhaktapur into the Project and establishment of a Compost Plant in Phase II

B. PHASE - II (1983 - 1986)
The formal bilateral agreement became effective in November 1984. The main achievements of Phase II can be summarized as follows:

• Technical and Managerial Strengthening of the executing agency.
  
  
• Extension of legal framework: Rules and Regulations for waste removal operations, development of cooperation and coordination models for the division of work between the SWMP and the municipal administration of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, proposals for a tariff system and its linking with existing fees or taxes
  
  
• Expansion of public relation activities, education and motivation of the population
  
  
• Increase in the volume of waste collection to about 33% of total waste generation in Kathmandu and Patan, construction and operation of a compost plant (15 tonnes per day at Teku), …. a sanitary landfill site was established at Gokarna (opened in October 1986).

C. PHASE - III (1987- 1990)

• The main objective was to make the project financially self-reliant, mainly through the scale of compost and the collection of service charges from the various sources, including from the use of public toilets and container services. Self reliance was a goal. The significant achievements of this phase were:
  
  
• By-laws for waste management were prepared and enacted (Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Act, 1987)
  
  
• Introduction of solid waste management by municipalities
  
  
• A tariff system was introduced
  
  
• An improved MIS was introduced and put into operation
  
  
• The collection system was further extended and new activities were introduced., such as public toilets, slaughter houses, vegetable washing facilities, septic tank servicing (suction trucks), hygiene centers, collection and disposal of toxic waste (hospital, slaughter houses and industry), service for removal and disposal of construction waste etc.

The Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Act, 1987 (BS 2044) transformed the Solid Waste Management Board into the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Center (SWMRMC), an autonomous unit under the Ministry of Works and Transport, thus giving the project an institutional base. The Center was later transferred to the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning, and then again to the Ministry of Local Development. Encouraged by the success of the project, the evaluation team in 1989 recommended that the Nepali staff takeover upon completion of the third phase in July 1990, as the MSWM system was already heading towards being sustainable.

D. PHASE IV (1990 – 1993)

• Education program for improved solid waste management and hygiene
  
  
• Greater involvement of municipalities in street sweeping
  
  
• Institutional development of the SWMRMC and transfer of the management functions to national staff

The scope of operation of SWMRMC can be looked into the following two main areas:

• Based on Geographical Area - Geographically, the SWMRM Act, 1987 has limited the area of responsibility of the SMMRMC only within Kathmandu Valley, though its' intent is to make the center a responsible agency to supervise appropriate municipal waste management of all urban centers of the country.
  
  
• Type of Work - Initially, before FY 1999/2000, SWMRMC was directly carrying out collection, transportation and final disposal of waste at landfill site as well as address with all waste related issues of public importance in cooperation and coordination with the Municipalities.
  
  The various activities carried out by the SWMRMC included, among others, the followings:
• Policy development for implementation of solid waste management plans and programmes
  
  
• Collect, transport and disposal of municipal solid waste of Kathmandu and Lalitpur municipal areas
  
  
• Construction of transfer station
  
  
• Provide community and private waste container services
  
  
• Construction and operation of Landfill site
  
  
• Provide septic tank cleaning services
  
  
• Construction and operation of public toilets
  
  
• Rehabilitation of old lanes and square yards
  
  
• Conduct community awareness programmes, develop audio visual programmes on waste management, publish newsletter and magazine and carryout motivation and public mobilization activities for involving public in municipal waste management activities.
  
  
• Mobilize volunteer groups and school children in developing awareness in solid waste management
  
  
• Conduct workshop, seminar at governmental and non-governmental level to develop appropriate waste management
  
  
• Develop Ramkot as short-term and Okharpauwa as long-term waste management site

In the changed context, after implementation of Local Self Governance Act, 1999, the responsibility of SWMRMC has been primarily focused on search, study and development of sanitary landfill site and hand it over to concerned municipality, and provide technical and financial assistance to KMC for emergency waste management activities.

The activities being carried out by SWMRMC after 1999 are as follows:


• To transform the existing organizational setup of the Center and develop it into an institution providing expert and professional services as national level policy maker
  
  
• To develop EIA Guideline for developing solid waste management infrastructure
  
  
• To study potential landfill sites
  
  
• To conduct IEE and EIA study of landfill sites
  
  
• To acquire land for landfill sites
  
  
• To develop infrastructure facilities of potential landfill sites
  
  
• To provide expert consulting services to municipalities and urban centers of the country for development of appropriate waste management system
  
  
• To provide technical and financial assistance to KMC for waste management until a long-term landfill site has been developed.

e scope and nature of responsibilities of the center has been altered and changed time to time based on various decisions of HMGN at different times. Center has meaningfully contributed to develop immediate, short term and long-term policy to scientifically and appropriately manage urban waste of Kathmandu Valley prepared under the Kathmandu Valley Solid Waste Management Coordination Committee, 1996 (sf7df08f} pkTosf ;/;kmfO{ sfof{Gjog ;ldlt, @)%@). Center has played important role to develop and adopt 'Solid Waste Management National Policy, 1997, (kmf]x/d}nf Joj:yfkg /fli6o lglt, @)%#) of HMGN. A National Waste Management Council was formed under the Charimanship of the Minister for Local

 Development in 1996. However, in due time, as the Board was not activated, the SWMRMC has carried out most of its objectives. Later, in due process to handover municipal waste management responsibilities to the local authorities under Local Self Governance Act, 1999 , the scope of SWMRMC has been focused on developing national and other responsibilities as delineated by HMGN.