Amuria grapples with garbage

Oct 31, 2013

Bushes and maize gardens make up part of this eastern town. No, it is not a garden; Amuria town is endowed with lots of green.

By Stephen Ssenkaaba and Godfrey Ojore
trueIn the Make Uganda Clean campaign, Vision Group is profiling major urban centres in the country, highlighting their sanitation situation, culminating into being recognised. Today, we bring you profiles of Amuria and Kyenjojo

Bushes and maize gardens make up part of this eastern town. No, it is not a garden; Amuria town is endowed with lots of green. A recent Vision Group survey indicates that many Amuria residents are wary of the deteriorating sanitary condition of their town. The survey carried out between August and September this year indicates that 80% of respondents were only averagely satisfied with the town cleanliness.

The respondents were mostly concerned about waste management, bad roads and poor cleaning facilities. The council does not have adequate garbage skips. Council blames the residents for the poor cleanliness of the town because they do not utilise the few available skips. “The few people who use the garbage bins fill them with ash that contains fire, destroying most of them,” Samuel Eukot the mayor said.


Besides, the town has no land for a dumping site. Because of that, people dump garbage in the pits and undeveloped plots within the town. Eukot says that council has planned to allocate some funds towards purchasing land for a dumping site. “In our budget this financial year we have allocated sh4m to buy land where we shall be dumping our garbage, he explained. The council has allocated sh2.8m for fuelling the tractor that goes around town collecting garbage. Part of the money will also help to hire people who collect garbage.

Cleaning exercises in the town have been allocated sh3.6m. Much of the revenue according to Eukot comes from local revenue generated from markets, taxi parks, local service tax and licences from business. Every week, the garbage collectors pick over two lorryloads of garbage. Town authorities say more could be collected if funds were available. In this survey, 73% of the respondents had seen animals loitering in the town in the past three months. Loitering animals have added more dirt to the already dirty town.

The town clerk, Silver Onyait says that council has come up with a new bylaw to punish owners of stray animals. Two thirds of the respondents (66.7%) reported existence of public toilets in the town, but added that these toilets were mainly dirty. At an average cost of sh 192, many people here should be in position to access public toilets, even though a number of poor ones might find that cost prohibitive, consequently resorting to using the bush .bout 86% said they had seen overgrown grass in the town at some time.

They all rated maintenance of grass and gardens as low. Amuria is a town with no alleys, but the thick bushes harbour reptiles. “We have resolved to sell off undeveloped plots in town because since the establishment of this town, the owners of these plots have turned them into grazing fields and gardens,” said Eukot. Amuria town was established in July 2005. The old structures which were constructed by the Indians 50 years ago are still habited

Good practices:
Build a health centre


There is general cleaning of the town every first Thursday of the month and the council has also eearmarked sh600,000 for training the Local Council officials and religious leaders on hygiene. About sh800,000 has been allocated to buy dustbins.

TOWN CLERK’S VIEW

 

  •  Silver Onyait says stray animals that are impounded will be kept for only two days. If the owners fail to claim them, they will be sold and the money used to finance sanitation projects

KYENJOJO DISTRICT

Garbage dumped on the streets


By Stephen Ssenkaaba and Rogers Sunday

About fifty years ago, Kyenjojo was a jungle; home to wild elephant grass (from which the town derived its name) and vicious animals. The town is a completely transformed place. It now has buildings, markets, people and roads. You might celebrate this transformation until you meet heaps of garbage, potholes, smelly latrines and patches of shrubs that adorn the town.

Sometimes it seems like Kyejonjo is getting back to the 1960s because the tall, wild elephant grass is commonplace. Buildings that once were the pride of the town are now an eyesore — their new coat of paint unable to disguise the peels on their surfaces. Located 266km west of Kampala, Kyenjojo sits on about 101 square kilometres and has a population of 21,600 according to the 2012 Uganda Bureau of Statistics abstract.

Much of its area is used for cultivation of food crops. However, as you take a stroll in the town, the absence of dustbins is reflected by the presence of rubbish everywhere. People dump garbage anywhere, leaving the town untidy.

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An aerial view of Kyenjojo town. Photos by Rogers Sunday

According to the mayor, Hajji Musa Twaha, the town has been relying on each household its manage garbage. There are concerns that twice a month is not enough to collect garbage in such a busy town. Questions linger over what happens to the filth that collects in areas away from the collection points- such as those in the middle of the town where no collection points have been established.

The mayor says that the town does not have enough garbage skips. “Because of inadequate garbage skips, some residents dump their garbage in the middle of the road at night,” says Twaha.

In a Vision Group survey done between August and September, residents of Kyenjojo complained about the poor hygiene in the town. All the respondents were unsatisfied with the cleanliness of the town, particularly the markets and streets. All respondents claimed to have seen dustbins in the town council, however, not on the streets or markets. Most likely, there are no public dustbins in the town. All respondents have seen someone litter the town council in the past three months.


All respondents said the town was polluted. Asked what they had done to keep their town clean, 48% of the respondents said “Nothing”. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents said public toilets in Kyenjojo town are dirty. On average, it costs sh182 to use a public toilet in this town, but people who cannot afford this find unconventional toilets. Human waste is managed through the septic tanks and pit latrines.

There is no central sewerage system. The main sources of water here are springs/ wells, boreholes, rain and piped water. Loitering animals also pose a serious hygiene problem to the town as all survey respondents to this poll indicated. Kyejonjo would be doing much better, but lack of funding has held many otherwise

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