LITERATURE REVIEW: Understanding the effects of different methods of Solid Waste management on quality of life in the Capital City of Nepal. Abstract Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal which is located in the South Asian region. It is a developing city where these days, waste management is the major concern. It has become the most discussed topic as it has direct effect on people’s quality of life. Thus, my research is focused on the different methods of Solid waste management on quality of life in the capital city of Nepal. The main objective of this research is to find the appropriate method and recommend some solutions for waste management to improve the quality of life in the capital city of Nepal. This report is prepared by reviewing the key literatures that are available on solid waste management problems that are impacting quality of quality. Introduction As population is increasing in the main city of developing country like Nepal, there is also an increment in the Solid waste. Government is not able to cope with the increasing demand for proper waste management, due to rapid urbanization. As the roads are narrow and vehicles are easily not able to enter many areas of the city for waste collection, wastes are dumped in the open areas. Thus, the uncollected waste are scattered inside communities area and streets. Inept disposal of such waste raises a risk to public health. From collection to final disposal of solid waste, Municipalities are highly responsible but very few of them have holistic understanding of the problems in waste management as in their jurisdiction (ADB 2013). There are numerous studies carried out in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) which focuses on the waste management problems. (Alam, 2009), (Giusti, 2009) and (Pokhrel, 2012), through these studies, it was identified that the Kathmandu city has a very serious impact on public health due to unmanaged dumping of solid waste on river banks. There are many methods to address the issue of waste management. The waste generated by households, schools, restaurants and streets are considered to be organic (Pokhrel, 2012) and among the surveyed such group, there is a very high willingness among them to segregate waste (Alam, 2009). The opportunities created by recycling such waste are also a new developed concept for waste management (Pokhrel, 2012). But due to lack of management’s capacity in Municipalities and the lack of financial support has made this idea ineffective (ADB, 2013). In order to achieve an environmentally friendly waste management system in the valley, Municipalities need to develop smart strategies and a proper management structure. As the population is increasing in the city, solid waste generated are also increased. The main source of solid waste in Kathmandu is domestic and it is increasing due to lack of public awareness, haphazard urbanization and the changing pattern of consumer consumption (Alam, 2009). Giusti, 2009 has also mentioned that health issues are associated with every step of treatment, handling and disposal of waste. The research conducted by Alam(2009) on 2005 and 2006 shows that solid waste generation in Kathmandu valley was 245tons/day and 260 tons/day, respectively. Giusti (2009) in his studies conducted on 2006 mentioned that the waste generation in was 750 kg per capita per week. Pokhrel (2012) in his study conducted on 2012 mentioned that the total amount of solid waste generated in Kathmandu Municipality was 291 tons/day. There are many potential impacts on public health caused by improper handling of waste. It was estimated by ADB (2013) that the waste generated by households was upto 75% of Municipal Solid Waste. ADB (2013) found that 30% of surveyed household in Kathmandu Municipality were practicing the method of segregating solid organic waste with other waste generated. Only 6 Municipalities out of 58 were practicing using sanitary landfills site for final disposal but remaining municipalities were practicing open dumping including roadside and riverside. Those poor municipalities were either not providing the services of solid waste management or had few manpower to work under their department. The waste collection system included door to door collection tri-cycles, van and community collection. The average solid waste was 317g/capita per day, Alam (2009)mentions 89% of household segregates organic and non-organic waste. But due to congested and structures of the narrow road, vehicles cannot reach to the destination for waste collection. There are no space for the community waste bins. Thus, Roadside collection is the main waste collection system, contributing to only 50% to total collection of waste. Giusti (2009) discusses that in many developing countries like Nepal, acceleration in urbanization and industrialization has generated billions tons of waste. Waste management is a low priority due to lack of resources and political will. Thus, due to bad sanitation and polluted water, the illness is widespread. Pokhrel (2012) study was based on 58 Municipalities with population of individual municipalities varying from 14,000 to 7,00,000. He also mentioned 70% of solid waste were generated from household organics. He surveyed 59% of the household respondents from Kathmandu valley and found that poor waste management practices had led to deterioration of ground and surface water quality as well as air and land pollution. Factories in the Kathmandu valley has utilized water surface as their dumping site (Alam, 2009). Households throw their waste in nearby open spaces (Pohrel 2012). The unmanaged waste has degraded the beauty of the city due to massive pollution ( Eicher, 2010). The quality of peoples’ life is in risk due to poor management of solid waste. Alam (2009) states that, lack of proper lining on solid waste from the existing dumping site comes in contact with the river water directly and contaminates and deteriorates quality of water. Pokhrel (2012) also agrees that without considering the effect of water resources and the health impact of the surrounding community, waste are dumped at the river bank as the final site. From 1994 onwards, he says, landfill site was developed on Bishnumati river and now it is at Bagmati river of Teku, Kathmandu. Pokhrel (2012) further discusses, there is also lack of regulation in illegal dumping at river side. Landfill is the major practice of disposing the final waste in many cities of Nepal. Lack of suitable landfill is the main problem in Kathmandu valley. Since 2000, about 250tons/day of solid waste is land filled by the Kathmandu Municipality on the Banks of Bagmati river (ADB, 2013). 2-3 m deep and 510m wide trenches are dug on the river banks and are filled with waste. After the finalization of the cover, the site are developed as road. These current practices are polluting the river, the bad odors has affected the nearby residents. The wastes are mostly scattered and pollute land (ADB, 2013). Despite the importance of solid waste management, only little attention is given to the solid waste management practices and best approaches to control it. As dwellers develop the environmentally unfriendly practices of dumping wastes in the streets and other public areas, the case is more serious. It has direct impact on quality of life. Firstly, these practices causes’ bad smells in the public area secondly it’s a place for bacteria and harmful insects to breed. Sometimes, uncollected wastes get into drain and make a blockage. Irregular collection of waste obliges people to burn plastic and other waste. These emissions directly impact the health of people. Random waste collection also pollutes air and causes impact on environment and deteriorates quality of life. Conclusion Solid waste management is important to understand as it is associated with the environment and the public health. The metropolitan city waste office has a vital role to play in the perfect management and treatment of solid waste. Including the source of waste segregation and collection, a proper waste collection system should be developed. The awareness program to general public in terms of quality and quantity of waste generated should be transparent. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City should also take an initiation in collecting organic and non-organic waste separately. Waste management should focus on maximizing recycling and minimizing illegal dumping. Local communities, NGO and private sector should be involved on waste management. Most importantly, people need to be educated. Alam (2009) mentions that its’ realised to educate community people about the solid waste management. The budget should also be allocated for participation. Giusti (2009) also agrees to make massive investment in facilities of waste management like; training and education to reduce health impact. Pokhrel (2012) noted that the compositing solid waste and using it as an organic fertilizer is a sustainable way of managing solid waste in Nepal. He encourages making active public participation. The waste collection system needs to be improved so that waste can be collected door to door in the city. Local communities should be mobilized in a very efficient way. References Alam, R., 2009. Generation, storage, collection and transportation of municipal solid waste – A case study in the city of Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. Waste Management, 28(6), pp. 1088-1097. Eicher, A., 2010. Waste Management Introduction. Waste Management, 22(4), pp. 367-368. Giusti, L., 2009. A review of waste management practices and their impact on human health. Waste Management, 29(8), pp. 2227-2239. Pokhrel, D., 2012. Municipal solid waste management in Nepal: practices and challenges. Waste Management, 25(5), pp. 555-562. ADB, (2013). Solid waste management in Nepal: Current status and policy recommendations. Waste Management, Asian Development Bank, pp 7-52.