COMMUNITY members residing close to a dumpsite at Katima Mulilo say they cannot handle the smoke anymore as it is affecting their health, and appealed to authorities to rectify the problem urgently.
The dumpsite is situated north-west of the town, and affects institutions such as the University of Namibia’s Katima Mulilo campus, the Zambezi Vocational Training Centre (ZVTC), the Macaravan informal settlement and business premises situated windward of the dumpsite.
Febbie Simasiku, a resident of the Macaravan informal settlement, told on Wednesday that they and their children suffer from inhaling the heavy smoke every day because they stay very close to the dumpsite.
“We are suffering a lot; especially at night. When the smoke becomes too thick, we have to stay indoors. As we are living in an informal settlement without electricity, sometimes we are forced to sleep without eating because we cannot cook outside due to the smoke. Even now, I am coughing like a dog,” she said.
also spoke to Richard Kambinda, the centre manager for the ZVTC, who described the smoke as unbearable for students and staff members because they inhale the toxic smoke every morning.
“We are fighting tooth and nail to get that dumpsite relocated. We have been talking to the Katima Mulilo Town Council and the governor, and our trainees even threaten to hold demonstrations. It is no secret that the smoke we inhale every day is a health hazard for us. In most cases, you cannot breathe.
“Even if they burn the rubbish at night and the smoke clears in the morning, some of it still remains trapped in our offices and classrooms, and affects the staff and the trainees,” he said, adding that health inspectors from the environment ministry once visited and interviewed them, and recommended the dumpsite’s closure. But it still remains.”
Kambinda suggested that after its closure, the dumpsite could still be used for something eco-friendly and productive to benefit the community in a positive way, such as a multiple court sports field.
“We, as the ZVTC, suggested to the town council that after they close the dumpsite, they should allow us to rehabilitate the land by building a sports field there, and they seem open to the idea. The sports field will not only benefit us but the community as whole, and will change their lives in a healthy way,” he noted.
An employee at the ZVTC, Christopher Simasiku (27), said he reports to work as early as 06h00 and when he gets there, he cannot see much due to the thick smoke.
“The time I come to work is very bad as the smoke is too much, and I cannot see anything. This hampers my work. I cannot breathe at all; I cough the whole day because of inhaling the toxic smoke. You can smell the rubber that burns there as if you are standing at the dumpsite,” he stated.
The chief executive officer of the Katima Mulilo Town Council, Raphael Liswaniso, last week said they have identified a suitable spot in the Liselo area to move it, and are engaging the relevant stakeholders.
“We have identified suitable land next to Liselo, and are engaging the community members on the proposal of moving the dumpsite to that area. The environmental impact assessment is also being conducted as we were only given until October to move the dumpsite,” he explained, adding that the council is planning to start a landfill management process for the waste materials.
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism’s public relations officer, Romeo Muyunda, told that the Katima Mulilo Town Council was given a compliance order to relocate the current dumpsite.
“The ministry has given the town council a compliance order, which states that they must relocate and put in mitigation measures to ensure that there is a minimum impact from the current site to the environment and to the people while they are working on the new site. The process of getting the much-needed environmental impact assessment clearance and environmental management plan for the new dumping site has started already, but they are still to submit them,” he added.
Muyunda further urged all town councils to ensure compliance with the Environmental Management Act of 2007 with regards to waste management, especially in the case of dumping sites.
“The ministry is in the process of finalising a waste management strategy. Once that is done, we will inform all town councils and other stakeholders on strategies that will be put in place in establishing dumping sites and other waste disposal sites,” he added.
