IRRESPONSIBLE WASTE DISPOSAL AFFECTS CHILDREN

By Brian Phiri, Catherine Ngulube and Prudence Mutepuka

Irresponsible waste disposal has been on the rise in most urban cities of Zambia and children have not been spared by its effects. Many people in various parts of the country have complained that the councils have not been collecting garbage in town centres and townships on time and sometimes never at all.

“Many of our children tend to play on the dump sites as there are no recreation facilities and hence they end up contracting various diseases such as cholera, dysentery, diarrhoea and bilharzias,” complains a concerned parent from Kanyama Compound. For some residents in highly populated areas, they feel the council tends to collect waste from high cost areas while neglecting the tonnes of waste that collect in their areas.  Due to uncollected garbage, scavengers have arisen to look for food and other items from the waste. Among those who scavenge are children who lack proper clothing hence are prone to many diseases.

The smell that these heaps of garbage produce especially during the wet season is unbearable Sometimes the garbage is washed away by the rain hence it is impossible to walk through the water that has been mixed the garbage as many water born diseases can be contracted.

Interviews with residents from named compounds around Lusaka revealed that people living in these areas feel neglected. They said they want the council to collect waste as they do in areas the residents call ‘Mayadi’, by collecting from house to house. They say that if this is done there will be no one to dump waste anyhow. Others including children said that the creation of dump sites which are not authorised by the council are due to the fact that the designated dumpsites are so full that when more garbage is dumped, the waste will overflow to the surrounding areas.

But the Lusaka City Council has a different opinion. Lusaka City Council Public Relations Officer, Mr Henry Kapata, says the Council has provided designated places to dump the waste but the mindset of majority of residents has been accustomed to dumping of waste anyhow. Mr Kapata says residents tend to create their own dump areas in the process endangering the lives of their own children and afterwards complain bitterly and blame the Council for not collecting the waste which is in undesignated places.

Mr Kapata cited examples of places were garbage dumping has continued to occur illegally such as the ground behind Mahatma Ghandi Basic School in Mtendere Township. Some pupils of this school talked to, stated that during the rainy season the waste produces an unpleasant smell affecting concentration of children during class. The illegal dump site has also limited the play space for children on the school ground.

Mr Kapata argues that most residents are not ready and willing to pay for garbage disposal while they pay for water and electricity. This has been a major setback as the City Council has no finances to offer free garbage collection services.

According to Mr Kapata, irresponsible dumping of waste coupled with the rain water and debris block the drainages and results in flooding often times.

Despite the challenges being faced by the council due to continued lack of commitment by residents to proper waste disposal, they have continued to educate and inform them.  Mr Kapata says people should not throw or dispose the waste at wrong places, if caught they will be persecuted and charged. “The make Zambia clean and healthy campaign is still on and now is much more effective as anyone who is caught throwing any kind of litter anywhere will be charged or required to perform a duty that will promote cleanliness, “ he says. “And above all we’ll ensure that this knowledge of health is passed on mostly in schools and there the children will learn that ‘charity begins at home,” he adds. The Children’s News Agency with support from European Union.