Cleanliness campaign participant reaches 35,000

KATHMANDU, Sept 21: Normally, about 500 ton of waste is collected in the Kathmandu Valley every day, but on Saturday the accumulation of garbage increased by around 150 ton.

In a bid to encourage local´s participation in the cleanliness activities in their own locality, Solid Waste Management and Technical Support Centre (SWMTSC) launched a campaign called "Clean Up Nepal," a nationwide cleanliness initiative, coinciding with the World Sanitation Day, 2013 on September 21.

 The cleanliness campaign was carried out in the different cities, rivers, cultural heritage sites, among others.In the Kathmandu Valley, the cleanliness campaign was carried out at various places like Panipokhari, Balkhu, Bagmati, Pashupatinath Temple, Manamaiju, Gwarko, among others.

According to the executive officer of the SWMTSC, Dr Sumitra Amatya, the number of volunteers who participated in the cleanliness campaign was beyond their expectation. They had expected only 10,000 volunteers in the cleanliness campaign across the country but more than 35,000 volunteers participated.

“We did not think so many volunteers would turn up to take part in the cleanliness campaign,” said Amatya. “This shows people are still concerned about the cleanliness of their locality. We just need to encourage them by organizing such campaigns.”

“The report from all over the country has yet come, but I hope people outside the Valley showed as much interest as the Kathmanduites,”said Amatya. Along with the volunteers, officials of different government and non government organizations also participated in the cleanliness campaign.

 Similarly, officials of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City were also present in the cleanliness campaign. Likewise, students of various schools and colleges, bankers actively participated in the cleanliness campaign.

“The campaign would not have been successful without the support of other organizations,” said Amatya. According to the chief of Environment Division of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Rabin Man Shrestha, such cleanliness campaigns are organized in every World Environment Day.

Such cleanliness campaigns will not work until and unless people will be aware of the importance of cleanliness in their surroundings.

“Today, the major problem is lack of concern for environment. People only clean their homes and do not worry about their surrounding,” said Shrestha. “So people must act consciously in such matter, otherwise, such cleanliness campaign would not be fruitful.”