Poor garbage disposal eats up Mbale
AFTER decades of struggle, Mbale has all but lost its battle against garbage. The town is choking with tonnes of uncollected waste, while its residents live on the brink of an environmental disaster.
By F. Wamokuyu
and R.Wetaya
AFTER decades of struggle, Mbale has all but lost its battle against garbage. The town is choking with tonnes of uncollected waste, while its residents live on the brink of an environmental disaster.
Naleba Jamila, the mayor, says the town produces an estimated 70 tonnes of garbage daily, three-quarters of which remains uncollected.
The rest is disposed in a dumping site established by the Mbale Municipal Council in April 2009.
The five-acre Doko dumpsite sprawls on the periphery of Mbale Industrial Area, where over 5,000 residents earn a living. The site which emits a bad stench, is controlled by street children.
The former district planning officer, Alex Mwende, says many people who dump waste in the drainage systems block the sewerage system.
Statistics from the district health office indicate that shortage of latrines in suburbs like Namatala, Nauyo, Namakwekwe, Nkoma, Bungokho and Mooni, are contributing to ill health since people defecate in the bushes. For instance five people died of cholera in Mooni sub-county recently.
Moses Masaba, the Mooni health secretary says human and animal waste has contaminated the area’s gravitational water reservoir scheme, leading to its closure.
Kalindi Muliro, a health worker at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, says dumping of human waste has also polluted the food chain supply.
“We need to protect our drinking water and food chain from disease-causing microbes and toxic chemicals. Our water plant should be fitted with charcoal filtering systems to screen toxic wastes.â€
Without effective enforcement of council rules, his suggestions may remain on paper. Mwambu says the sewerage system has become a breeding ground for rats, flies and other disease carriers.
However, the town council recently put up a manure processing plant. Naleba said this would help sort out the problem by turning waste into manure.
“We have acquired a multi-purpose tractor and trucks to collect and dump the waste in Doko.â€
Naleba says dustbins have also been placed in strategic places in the town.
“Although enforcement is a problem, a law is in place, to penalise those who dump rubbish outside the dustbins.â€
A fine of sh100,000 or jail term not exceeding two years, awaits the culprits. The mayor also says no trading licences will be issued to traders without dustbins.
To guard the public against ill health, the Mbale health officials have encouraged people, to carefully wash all vegetables and fruits before eating to avoid such disease.
and R.Wetaya
AFTER decades of struggle, Mbale has all but lost its battle against garbage. The town is choking with tonnes of uncollected waste, while its residents live on the brink of an environmental disaster.
Naleba Jamila, the mayor, says the town produces an estimated 70 tonnes of garbage daily, three-quarters of which remains uncollected.
The rest is disposed in a dumping site established by the Mbale Municipal Council in April 2009.
The five-acre Doko dumpsite sprawls on the periphery of Mbale Industrial Area, where over 5,000 residents earn a living. The site which emits a bad stench, is controlled by street children.
The former district planning officer, Alex Mwende, says many people who dump waste in the drainage systems block the sewerage system.
Statistics from the district health office indicate that shortage of latrines in suburbs like Namatala, Nauyo, Namakwekwe, Nkoma, Bungokho and Mooni, are contributing to ill health since people defecate in the bushes. For instance five people died of cholera in Mooni sub-county recently.
Moses Masaba, the Mooni health secretary says human and animal waste has contaminated the area’s gravitational water reservoir scheme, leading to its closure.
Kalindi Muliro, a health worker at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, says dumping of human waste has also polluted the food chain supply.
“We need to protect our drinking water and food chain from disease-causing microbes and toxic chemicals. Our water plant should be fitted with charcoal filtering systems to screen toxic wastes.â€
Without effective enforcement of council rules, his suggestions may remain on paper. Mwambu says the sewerage system has become a breeding ground for rats, flies and other disease carriers.
However, the town council recently put up a manure processing plant. Naleba said this would help sort out the problem by turning waste into manure.
“We have acquired a multi-purpose tractor and trucks to collect and dump the waste in Doko.â€
Naleba says dustbins have also been placed in strategic places in the town.
“Although enforcement is a problem, a law is in place, to penalise those who dump rubbish outside the dustbins.â€
A fine of sh100,000 or jail term not exceeding two years, awaits the culprits. The mayor also says no trading licences will be issued to traders without dustbins.
To guard the public against ill health, the Mbale health officials have encouraged people, to carefully wash all vegetables and fruits before eating to avoid such disease.