Redressing Sound Waste Management to mitigate Environmental Health Hazards

By Robert Kigongo.

As Uganda’s capital City continues to grapple with road potholes and air pollution, then Boom! We are hit by a tragedy of Kiteezi waste dumping land field under the Kampala City Authority (KCCA) that has injured and killed close to 25 people.

Sadly, Kampala capital city is one of the most unclean cities, improper planning from infrastructure development to governance, unfortunately it’s also struggling with waste management compared to its east African Counterparts, however it has taken strides to secure a gazette land field land called Kiteezi in Wakiso District.

According to KCCA the population of Kampala is approximately standing at 3 Million people, however statistics show 1.5 people out of Kampala and 1.8 populations living in slums, metropolitan hosts approximately a traffic of 1.5 Million sadly 1.2 don’ts have latrines hubs garbage from markets, schools, hospitals, residential homes, hostels, city abattoirs among other public utilities.

The waste collected both is non-hazardous or general waste and hazardous that’s to say non-biodegradable and bio gradable with larger volumes of cytotoxic waste, sharp waste, chemical waste, pharmaceutical waste and pathological waste.

However, my attention has been drawn to the neglect of environmental health surveillance as a result of improper waste management which needs an immediate redress.

The interlinkages between environmental health and waste management ranges from soil contamination, vector borne diseases, air pollution to ecological damage, soil contamination and climate change  al affecting Human health.

‘The Kiteezi land field tragic is less of a natural disaster calamity but rather environmental Health issue linked to a holistic sound waste management’

The death and severely injured victims of Kiteezidisaster is due to ecological damage and soil contamination as a waste diverse effect of released chemicals directly into the environment and human health.

Besides the death the worst looming calamity already affecting humans that is criminally underrated by Kiteezi land field encroachers and neighborhoods and authorities near land fields, and recycling areas is air pollution and Human Health from exposure to waste pollutants and release of greenhouse gasses respectively;

From example greenhouse gasses are the leading cause of respiratory issues that cause cancer among urban dwellers and populations around land fields.

Unfortunately, the issue of sound waste management directly has a negative economic impact on tourism, agriculture and industries and municipal governance but it’s also a fortunate to generate power, fertilizers and manure.

We can all easily blame Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) for not investing in constructing secure land fields and recycling facilities! But what about us as Ugandans and East Africans do we even understand proper waste management from households and institutions level?

The answer is vividly NO! Many of us just improperly disposed waste without sorting between the bio-gradable and non-gradable which makes it even harder for collectors like Nabugabo up deal joint venture and Home clean service providers of KCCA.

In partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, I did an assessment of environmental protection, restoration and conservation efforts in secondary schools from protection of green spaces, waste management, tree planting, use of renewable energy, climate smart agriculture.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed how learning institutions have failed on sound waste management rather burning waste as thus emitting greenhouse gasses that escalate climate change.

Subsequently, as resident in perimeters of Ggabamarket I noticed first hand water ends up in lake Victoria contaminating our major fresh water source which leads to Diarrhea, Tetanus, whooping cough, Tuberculosis and epidemics like Cholera, dysentery, Typhoid, Intestinal worm infections.

Sound waste management in Kampala metropolitan and other city municipalities requires effective and efficient practices such as reduction, reuse recycling and proper waste disposal to mitigate other Kiteezirelated risks, diseases as thus protecting both environmental and human health wellbeing.

Infrastructure development of land fields and recycling centers alone is not enough, ideally communities must be involved through education and awareness on proper waste disposal.

I strongly recommend the Uganda government through legislation to introduce Eco by-in to industries (the biggest polluters) that will encourage reuse of products and force recycling of paper, plastics, glass, and metal that will pave away for a sustainable transition.

The eco by in’s will change consumer behaviors eventually leading to sound waste management.

Fortunately, government has established institutions, good policy frame works through legislation but implementation and enforcement leaves a lot to be desired;

Therefore, government should introduce an effective environmental health surveillance systemfor effective monitoring and evaluation to assess areas of improvement and mitigation

Enacting ‘Waste to Energy’ to minimize on larger volumes thus avoiding danger on human health and severe death.

Kampala capital city should resettle all the land fieldencroachers and offer social uplifting programs to improve livelihoods as part of the sustainable environmental health management.

Equally municipalities and City authorities can benchmark on Vienna in Australia burns 250,000 tons per annum to generate 500 GWh and 60 GWh of electricity by use of anaerobic digestion or compositing waste.

Mitigating environmental health through sound waste management is requires political will, adopting circular economic principles, reducing single plastic use, intensive community engagements, enforcement of laws and regulations, practicing climate smart agriculture.

Robert Kigongo is a sustainable development analyst.