In Nepal's Capital, Waste Puts off Visitors and Locals
2022-06-16
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1Large amounts of waste, or garbage, are filling streets in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, after protesters blocked a road leading to a landfill outside the city.
2Protesters in the village where the garbage is dumped accuse the government of not doing enough to protect them from the waste.
3One British visitor, or tourist, Richard McSorley, recently spoke to Reuters news agency about the problem.
4He remembers how much cleaner Kathmandu was when he first visited many years ago. "
5If I was a new tourist I would be disgusted," McSorley said, while pointing to a load of garbage next to a city street.
6The waste problem comes as government officials seek to draw in more tourists after the country's unsteady economy was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
7For weeks, treatment of waste has been a continuous problem in the hill-ringed city.
8The problems started after people in the village of Bancharedanda resisted having the garbage dumped at a nearby landfill.
9Biswas Dhungana was one of the protesters.
10He said the villagers were refusing to permit trucks loaded with garbage to enter.
11They say government officials have done little to provide basic equipment and effective structures to deal with the garbage.
12Dhungana told Reuters, "We have been forced to live like pigs in yucky conditions for several years as the government has not done anything to keep the village clean."
13Last week, hundreds of villagers build a barrier of rocks on the road leading to Bancharedanda.
14It forced about 200 trucks filled with Kathmandu's garbage to return without dumping their load.
15Three witnesses said protestors also threw stones from surrounding hills.
16Three police officers were injured. Police then fired tear gas to break up the protests.
17Sunil Lamsal is an official overseeing how Kathmandu's garbage is processed.
18He told Reuters he was working to deal with the concerns of locals in Bancharedanda as soon as possible.
19Lamsal said, "We are coordinating with the protesters and will invite them for talks to resolve the problem."
20But for now, garbage continues to grow on the streets of Kathmandu.
21This has led to increased anger for people living in the capital, like Laloo Magar.
22"I am fed up with the authorities who can't even keep the city clean," Magar said.
23Magar added that the current waste situation in Kathmandu was "a disgrace."
24I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Large amounts of waste, or garbage, are filling streets in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, after protesters blocked a road leading to a landfill outside the city. 2Protesters in the village where the garbage is dumped accuse the government of not doing enough to protect them from the waste. 3One British visitor, or tourist, Richard McSorley, recently spoke to Reuters news agency about the problem. He remembers how much cleaner Kathmandu was when he first visited many years ago. "If I was a new tourist I would be disgusted," McSorley said, while pointing to a load of garbage next to a city street. 4The waste problem comes as government officials seek to draw in more tourists after the country's unsteady economy was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. 5For weeks, treatment of waste has been a continuous problem in the hill-ringed city. The problems started after people in the village of Bancharedanda resisted having the garbage dumped at a nearby landfill. 6Biswas Dhungana was one of the protesters. He said the villagers were refusing to permit trucks loaded with garbage to enter. They say government officials have done little to provide basic equipment and effective structures to deal with the garbage. 7Dhungana told Reuters, "We have been forced to live like pigs in yucky conditions for several years as the government has not done anything to keep the village clean." 8Last week, hundreds of villagers build a barrier of rocks on the road leading to Bancharedanda. It forced about 200 trucks filled with Kathmandu's garbage to return without dumping their load. 9Three witnesses said protestors also threw stones from surrounding hills. Three police officers were injured. Police then fired tear gas to break up the protests. 10Sunil Lamsal is an official overseeing how Kathmandu's garbage is processed. He told Reuters he was working to deal with the concerns of locals in Bancharedanda as soon as possible. 11Lamsal said, "We are coordinating with the protesters and will invite them for talks to resolve the problem." 12But for now, garbage continues to grow on the streets of Kathmandu. This has led to increased anger for people living in the capital, like Laloo Magar. 13"I am fed up with the authorities who can't even keep the city clean," Magar said. Magar added that the current waste situation in Kathmandu was "a disgrace." 14I'm Gregory Stachel. 15Gopal Sharma reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 16_______________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18landfill - n. an area where waste is buried under the ground 19dump - v. to get rid of (waste or garbage) especially in a secret and illegal way 20disgusted - adj. very annoyed or angry about something 21yucky - adj. unpleasant and disgusting 22coordinate - v. to make arrangements so that two or more people or groups of people can work together properly and wel 23authorities - n. people who have power to make decisions and enforce rules and laws 24disgrace - n. something that you are or should be ashamed of 25We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.