Dhangadhi’s waste management center to begin operations within a month and a half

Dhangadhi: The state-of-the-art waste management center under construction in Patela Forest, Dhangadhi-7, aimed at addressing the city’s growing waste management challenges, is expected to be operational within a month and a half.

The Federal Urban Development and Building Office, Kailali, has confirmed that construction will be completed by mid-Falgun. While the main structures of the center, built at a cost of Rs 1.8 billion, 27.25 million, 489 thousand, are complete, finishing works such as lighting, internal roads, and area lining remain, said Saurabh Kalauni, an engineer at the office.

The center is being constructed by Sichuan Province Geological Engineering Complex Company Limited of China. Engineer Kalauni reported 89 percent physical progress and 81 percent financial progress. Under the agreement, the company will operate the center for the first three years before handing it over to the Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City, which will then manage and operate it fully.

Engineer Govinda Kumar Mandal of the construction company stated that operations will commence immediately after construction completion, ahead of the April 3 deadline. The project will also include promotion of Haliyali activities alongside operational launch.

The center is being built on 32 bighas of land with a capacity to manage 60 tons of daily waste for up to 30 years. Currently, Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City collects 60 tons of daily waste, sorting fine-grained waste for sale and sending 8–10 tons of compostable and bio-gas suitable waste to the Dev Training Center. Waste unsuitable for these methods will be processed at the new center.

Engineer Dijraj Bhatta, Head of the Infrastructure Development Branch, explained that the center will classify waste, convert biodegradable waste into organic fertilizer, recycle plastics, and manage non-recyclable waste in dumping sites. The construction contract was signed on 14 Poush 2079, but delays in site selection and tree-felling approvals extended the timeline by two years, increasing costs by Rs 114.485 million.

The Dhangadhi project serves as a model for other municipalities in the region. Godavari Municipality has operationalized a similar center in Chowkidanda, managing 13 tons of waste and 13 cubic meters of fecal waste daily. Meanwhile, Shuklaphanta’s center has completed construction and is preparing to begin operations.