Congested dumping sites in the Okavango and North West districts are reportedly undermining the national clean-up campaign initiative by President Duma Boko meant to augment government’s waste management efforts.
In an interview, Okavango District Council chairman, Ronald Gaopalelwe revealed that waste collected from clean-up campaigns is leaving dumping sites congested. He noted that all wards in the region have set aside the second Saturday of every month for cleaning as declared by the President.
Gaopalelwe stated that though clean-up campaigns have been satisfactorily upheld in the district, waste management, however, still remains a challenge. He noted that the district currently has no operating landfill, adding they dispose of collected trash from clean-up campaigns in various dumping sites.
He revealed that they have dumping sites in villages including Seronga, Gumare, Sepopa, Nxamasere and Shaikarawe where collected litter is dumped. Gaopalelwe indicated that the mentioned dumping sites however are currently congested and crammed with waste as their capacity is not accommodating enough, for trash collected from litter picking campaigns. Gaopalelwe indicated that though the council is currently broke, they utilize transfer stations, which they constructed through their Ikageng program, in areas including Nxamasere, Xhaoga, Etsha 13 amongst others. He explained that transfer stations are structures mandated to temporarily store waste for collection to the landfill by the council.
Meanwhile, the chairman indicated that they have been allocated a landfill plot by Shakawe Sub- Land Board. He however stated that due to financial constraints the landfill is not operating currently as they are unable to construct, develop and maintain the plot. He stated they are currently reaching out to willing and able companies to assist them transform the landfill into a suitable state for use.
North West District Council chairman, Itumeleng Kelebetseng also decried that their dumping sites in Tsau and Sehithwa are also currently congested which leads to trash being wrongly dumped outside them. He indicated that only Maun dumping site is in good condition and used appropriately while the other two are in poor conditions. Kelebetseng noted that Sehithwa dumping site has however been included for rehabilitation in the Constituency Community Projects- CCP funds, whilst Tsau dumping site on the other hand remains exempted. Kelebetseng stated in other areas surrounding Maun they have transfer stations in place to assist in waste disposal.
Kelebetseng has stressed that the stations however are not used properly, noting most people put waste in refuse plastics instead of trash bins, adding this makes littering by domestic animals inevitable. He urged the public to appropriately store waste in trash bins as they await collection. He further encouraged those registered for the council litter collection service to honor the declared days for litter picking. Kelebetseng appreciated that the district is one of the regions which has taken clean- up campaigns seriously, adding the area leadership are often the ones spearheading the campaigns.
He indicated that most residents however are not active enough when it comes to tidying their households, explaining they do not put thorough cleaning efforts into practice. The council chairman added that following recent downpours most residents do not cut and weed their meadows. He stressed that this act does not only pollute the environment but also constitutes to the rise in malaria cases which are currently over 200 cases. Kelebetseng stated that the other challenge they face is the scarcity of resources required to enhance the efficiency of the campaign including vehicles for transporting waste to dumping sites and landfills. He concluded that North West is a broad area, with far apart villages, highlighting regardless of that they are still responsible for ensuring trash from these villages is collected and dumped appropriately.
