Research News Update

Request for sponsors is now closed for MSc Student’s Leachate Pollution Study in Nepal

Enviros was contacted this autumn by Sital Kafley, an MSc Student at Pokhara University, who found their leachate specialists after visiting their web site. Sital was planning a pollution study of suspected leachate groundwater and watercourse contamination from Katmandu’s Gokarna Landfill on which to base her dissertation. However, her problem was that no funding was available for the detailed water quality laboratory analysis work needed.

Sital provided Enviros with full details of her proposed research work (see below right), and having agreed the value of this work to the community, Enviros agreed to sponsor her. Unfortunately, this funding is not sufficient to allow her to complete her study, and she is seeking a further GBP 600 to complete the full monitoring schedule which will allow her to complete her work.

The Gokarna Landfill was originally designed and developed to high standards as a lined landfill, but has suffered from continued infilling since initial development phases have been filled, and landfill development works funding was exhausted some time ago.

This has given rise to the concerns held locally that not only may the environment be suffering pollution, but that the many local household wells may also be contaminated. Although piped water is provided, most properties also maintain their own traditional well or borehole, and some of these may still be being used for drinking water.

Further information:
Click here to download Sital's Abstract.

“Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capital income of less then $200. The problems of Nepal can be addressed, like the problems of the world, in a very direct manner...”

To find out more about Nepal: Click here.

All donations for this research are now closed, but Sital is now looking for sponsorship to continue her studies. Want to help? Contact Steve Last of Enviros Consulting (Email: steve.last@enviros.com).

What does “The Rough Guide” to Nepal say about this landfill? “... a right fork leads to the Kathmandu Valley’s controversial landfill. Residents of nearby Mulpani staged a much publicised revolt in 1995, protesting that they were being made to suffer high rates of disease because the rubbish wasn’t being properly buried.” The landfill has still accepting waste and has grown much larger since The Rough Guide was published.

Update (20 April 2004) all sponsorship is now closed. The Gokarna Landfill has itself now been closed early.

Update on donations (12 March 2004): We have collected £100, to date, toward further sampling, with more contributions promised. Many thanks for your donations.

There have been developments at Gokarna Landfill- there is now waste deposited in the river, and further sampling and analysis is needed to highlight the potential additional health and pollution risks this raises.