Garbage chokes Nakivubo channel
Apr 21, 2010
INDISCRIMINATE dumping of garbage in Kampala City is choking Nakivubo Channel, according to National Water and Sewerage Corporation.
By Gerald Tenywa
INDISCRIMINATE dumping of garbage in Kampala City is choking Nakivubo Channel, according to National Water and Sewerage Corporation.
Speaking to yesterday, Paddy Twesigye, a manager at the corporation, said waste like plastic bottles, bags, and heavy silting is blocking the channel.
“The disposal of waste by buildings and market vendors is increasing waste in the channel. It is worse than sewage because even effluent from industries ends up there.â€
The channel, which was constructed to alleviate flooding in the low-lying areas of the city, gets blocked at points where wire nets were placed to sieve out the waste.
The waste has piled up, blocking the flow of water in the channel and therefore an over-flow.
Although the over-flow results into flooding at various points of Nakivubo, Namuwongo, a Kampala suburb located near the mouth of the channel, is worst-hit.
Emmanuel Masengere, the chairperson of Kanyogoga in Namuwongo, said the occupants of this slum are lucky if the rainy season ends without a cholera out-break.
Masengere said the floods spread feacal matter, which flows into houses and contaminates spring water sources.
“This place is congested with people. The water table is high and the pit latrines flow directly into it. So when the floods come the situation worsens,†Masengere said.
Asked whether their complaints had been heard, Masengere replied: “Government officials only come here for votes. They never attend to issues affecting the people until they are full-blown crises.â€
The channel has not only brought disaster to Namuwongo, but also put a smile on the faces of vendors dealing in empty plastic bottles.
After the floods, Jamila Erika, a resident, collects mineral water bottles, which she sells to food vendors around Kampala.
Although the used bottles provide a source of income to the urban poor, they pose a health hazard, Paul Luyima, a private consultant on health issues, said.
Namuwongo residents, under self-help initiatives, mobilised adults to dig trenches to drain the water towards the lake.
This, Masengere said, is also a short term measure because the channel soon gets blocked with silt flowing from Kampala.
The US$23m (about sh46b) World Bank-funded project, for the reconstruction of the channel, was carried out amid protests from environmentalists. They complained that it would lead to the pollution of Lake Victoria.
They reasoned that the channel would transport waste straight into the lake.
Development experts, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the proposed construction of waste water treatment plants would not solve the problem.
They said Kampala needs an environment management programme and better urban planning.
INDISCRIMINATE dumping of garbage in Kampala City is choking Nakivubo Channel, according to National Water and Sewerage Corporation.
Speaking to
“The disposal of waste by buildings and market vendors is increasing waste in the channel. It is worse than sewage because even effluent from industries ends up there.â€
The channel, which was constructed to alleviate flooding in the low-lying areas of the city, gets blocked at points where wire nets were placed to sieve out the waste.
The waste has piled up, blocking the flow of water in the channel and therefore an over-flow.
Although the over-flow results into flooding at various points of Nakivubo, Namuwongo, a Kampala suburb located near the mouth of the channel, is worst-hit.
Emmanuel Masengere, the chairperson of Kanyogoga in Namuwongo, said the occupants of this slum are lucky if the rainy season ends without a cholera out-break.
Masengere said the floods spread feacal matter, which flows into houses and contaminates spring water sources.
“This place is congested with people. The water table is high and the pit latrines flow directly into it. So when the floods come the situation worsens,†Masengere said.
Asked whether their complaints had been heard, Masengere replied: “Government officials only come here for votes. They never attend to issues affecting the people until they are full-blown crises.â€
The channel has not only brought disaster to Namuwongo, but also put a smile on the faces of vendors dealing in empty plastic bottles.
After the floods, Jamila Erika, a resident, collects mineral water bottles, which she sells to food vendors around Kampala.
Although the used bottles provide a source of income to the urban poor, they pose a health hazard, Paul Luyima, a private consultant on health issues, said.
Namuwongo residents, under self-help initiatives, mobilised adults to dig trenches to drain the water towards the lake.
This, Masengere said, is also a short term measure because the channel soon gets blocked with silt flowing from Kampala.
The US$23m (about sh46b) World Bank-funded project, for the reconstruction of the channel, was carried out amid protests from environmentalists. They complained that it would lead to the pollution of Lake Victoria.
They reasoned that the channel would transport waste straight into the lake.
Development experts, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the proposed construction of waste water treatment plants would not solve the problem.
They said Kampala needs an environment management programme and better urban planning.