Mustang. A total of 4,391 kg of garbage has been exported from Mustang in the first six months of the current fiscal year. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), Jomsom has sent the waste collected from Baragung Mukti Chhetra, Gharpajhong and Thasang rural municipalities outside the district.

According to Rajesh Prasad Gupta, chief of ACAP Jomsom office, the ACAP has started transporting the garbage collected from the communities of Mustang to Pokhara through trucks with the objective of making the religious and tourism mountainous district Mustang clean, clean and environment-friendly.

ACAP has collected non-biodegradable plastic waste collected from the community in the lower part of Mustang and sent it to Pokhara-based Green Waste Management Pvt Ltd for reuse, said Gupta. Till December of this year, the garbage collected from the area was transported to Pokhara four times in trucks, said Gupta.

Chief Gupta said that ACAP Jomsom has been transporting the non-degradable waste collected from tourism entrepreneurs and local community levels to the processing centre in Pokhara after managing its own financial expenses.

In the first phase this year, 176 sacks or 544 kg of waste were exported to Pokhara on August 24, 154 sacks or 860 kg in the second round, 242 sacks or 153 kg on November 23 in the third phase and 172 sacks i.e. 1,351 kg on December 24 in the fourth round.

Last year, ACAP Jomsom had transported 10,190 kg waste collected from tourism entrepreneurs and communities in three rural municipalities in the district in trucks and sent to the Green Waste Management Processing Centre in Pokhara.

Earlier, ACAP and Green Waste Management Pvt Ltd had signed an agreement for the management of non-biodegradable plastic waste in Mustang. ACAP chief Gupta said that there is a problem in managing the transportation of garbage collected in Mustang to the concerned place.

In the current fiscal year, three local levels of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project have allocated Rs five lakh each for the management of garbage in Mustang, said Gupta. The Gharpajhong Rural Municipality has purchased the tempo from the budget under the title ‘Waste Management’ provided by ACAP. The Waragung Mukti Chhetra Rural Municipality has purchased a compressor machine to crush the collected garbage, while Thasang rural municipality is in the process of discussion on the topic of garbage, according to ACAP.

Similarly, ACAP waste collection centre has been set up in all three local levels of the district for the proper management of waste generated by tourists and locals. ACAP has set up garbage collection centers in Thasang-4, Ghasa, Thasang-3, Lete and Dhampu, Thasang-2, Thasang-1, Tukuche, Gharpajhong-3, Syang, Gharpajhang-1, Chhairo, Waragung Mukti Kshetra-4, Kagbeni and Waragung Mukti Kshetra-4, Muktinath.