Waste Management
Solid waste and wastewater management are everyday challenges in my neighborhood. Garbage and used water disposal continue to cripple the ‘liveability’ of the neighborhood since the 2000s.
There is no designated dumpsite in my neighborhood nor is there a sewerage system. For the environmentally conscious, they depend on burning garbage as it is the only alternative, the kitchen wastes are buried or otherwise used as manure for gardens. For others, every open space is a perfect garbage disposal site-kitchen wastes rot, and bring foul smell, the spots also become habitats for flies.
It is the sole responsibility of any residential property developer to provide alternative sewer systems such as septic tanks. The downside of septic tanks is that they fill after some time and require frequent monitoring to prevent overflow. Exhauster services are also very expensive and disposal of the wastes is also done on an open field thus causing air pollution and flies-infestation.
In 2020, under the flagship project of ‘Kazi kwa Vijana’, there were some improvements in the garbage management sector as collectors would pick the wastes, sort them and dispose them efficiently but as the program was phased out, wastes build-up has become the normalcy.
The most notorious waste is plastics as they are wrappings of consumer goods and provide the convenience of disposal. When windy, they travel a great distance and mostly stick to hedge fences. The only option of eliminating plastics in my neighborhood is by burning which produces toxic chemicals to the atmosphere that largely contribute to respiratory illnesses.
The only source of water supply in the town is River Malewa, the neighborhood is located on the farthest end of the town, meaning low water pressure and scarcity as water is not pumped but flows under gravity. Since water supply is limited, more often than not, water does not get to taps, most residents without sinks depend on basin-basin method in washing clothes and dishes. Used domestic water is disposed off on roads which make them muddy and impassable even on sunny days.
The message from an urban planner’s perspective is that proper wastewater management particularly of used domestic water could promote recycling, boosting water availability and increasing distribution into homes. This requires ground-based research and case studies for reference, for instance, in rural Nepal where such alternatives are working efficiently. The sorting of garbage help in creating raw materials for beautiful processes such as art.
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