1058 पटक हेरिएको 
Kathmandu : Nepal Government is constructing fecal sludge treatment plant at wastewater treatment plant site. Executive Director of Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board (KVWSMB) informed that fecal sludge treatment plants are also being constructed at Dobhighat and Kodku wastewater treatment plant sites, which are under construction. “The wastewater treatment plant site will also include the fecal sludge treatment plant. After the construction of these treatment plants, the problems faced by the fecal sludge desludging service providers will be solved,” Dr. Rana said.
Due to lack of proper disposal site, private service providers have been disposing the fecal sludge into the river, forests, or open land. As the haphazard disposal of fecal sludge affects the environment, Lalitpur Metropolitan City has started to take strict action.
Executive Director Dr. Sanjeev Bickram Rana said that the fecal sludge treatment plants are being constructed in both of these wastewater treatment plant sites considering the capacity of treating the fecal sludge for the population until 2025.
According to him, 75 thousand liters of fecal sludge can be treated from one fecal sludge treatment plant operating for 8 hours per day.If operated for 16 hours per day, a single treatment plant can treat 150,000 liters of fecal sludge per day, which means if both treatmentplants come into operation, 3 lakh liters of fecal sludge can be treated per day.
It is expected that the existing problem faced by septic tank desludging service providers will be solved thereafter.
“Why didn’t the Kathmandu Valley Board think about this before?” In the question of journalist Jagdish Kharelduring the TV program ‘Talk of the Town’, Dr. Rana said, “The notion that all problems are solved after constructing septic tanks should be removed. While building treatment plants for sewered system, we have now also included treatment plants for non-sewered system. However, the Guheswori Treatment Plant, which is now under operation, does not possess this.”
Joint Secretary Er. Tiresh Khatri added that constructing few infrastructures, fecal sludge can also be treated at existing Guheswori Treatment Plant.“Fecal sludge and waste-water do not have the same characteristics. Due to this, fecal sludge should be pre-treated before allowing it to enter the wastewater treatment plant. Discussions are being held for that as well,” said Er. Khatri.
But, it is not sure as to when the construction of both of the treatment plants in Dhobighat and Kodku will be completed. Dr. Rana said that the Kathmandu Valley Board is in the process of hiring new contractors.
Despite of the legal provisions to dispose fecal sludge and septage only after the treatment, due to lack of treatment plants, the fecal sludge of 4.4 million people of Kathmandu Valley is being discharged directly into the rivers and streams.
It is estimated that 5 million people are living in Kathmandu Valley. Out of this, only 3 percent of the population’s sewage is being treated and discharged into the river.
