Pakwach wants dwellers to join the fight against garbage management

By Geofrey Achora Jr

PAKWACH: The health and sanitation authority in Pakwach town council has decried persistent indiscriminate dumping of solid waste that’s likely to cause an outbreak of diseases due to contamination of the Environment. #WhisperEyeNews

The health personnel observed that dumping food remnant and polythene bags in the corridors of residential and eating joints is frustrating the proper operation and maintenance of the town in a nuisance-free manner.

 They are agitating for collective waste scavenging by the users as it plays a very critical role in reusing materials and ultimately reducing the amount of waste that is finally deposed off among.

According to Kigezi Fuathum Judith the Pakwach town council health inspector, the compliancy in enforcing the existing solid management laws that mandate the council to provide services allows residents and businesses to operate and function in an environment that supports development.

Fuathum contends that the guidelines for deposing garbage in public places have been abused adding that the high cost of waste management, poor attitude by the local people and lack of appropriate technologies for compost processing are some of the challenges they face.

“It’s a requirement that every business premise provide temporary storage facilities either a box or a dust bin of any nature before the council gang comes to pick it so I therefore appeal to the community to have it”

The government under the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvements program project 2 (MATIP) provided garbage trucks to urban markets and cities however, Pakwach town council is financially constrained to fuel and maintain the only tipper lorry frequently used to dump wastes at the central designated site at  Atara in Alwi sub-county.

 Simon Adriko the town clerk of Pakwach town council explained that the persistent funding gap has become a menace in the management of such a heap of garbage to the council.

“ We have a budget which is located to manage garbage at Pakwach town council however the fund is meagre currently we are working on locally generated  revenues which are from the business community of this area and this is challenging to meet the ever-increasing volume of waste by the urban dwellers” Simon noted

Recently, the authorities proposed that they intend to embark on identifying private firms and privatize solid waste management but their intervention was hit by finance and red taps involving the procurements.

To address the above issues, town councils and cities have started planning for decentralized disposal and treatment of waste within their geographical limits.