Mon, 22 May 2017 13:29:12 +0000
By KALOBWE BWALYA
THE continuous disposal of refuse in the Bombay drainage which is under construction by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) by some residents from Lusaka’s Chaisa and Msisi compounds has raised serious concern among residents.
The residents have urged Lusaka City Council to quickly move in and start arresting those who were dumping garbage and vandalizing the facility before the situation got out of hand.
In an interview with the Daily Nation, Moses Machina of Msisi compound said the Bombay drainage, although under construction, was being used as a dump site as well as a toilet where some people answer the call of nature.
Mr Machina said the culprits usually dumped the garbage and used it as a toilet in the night when everyone had gone to sleep. Another resident Jobex Sisungwe said it was sad that Government was spending a lot of money to build the facility while some people were using it for the unintended purpose.
He said some criminals were also using the drain as a hideout, attacking people and raping women who moved in the night alone, especially those from bars.
“The council and Zambia Police should start night patrols here in Msisi compound. Some few individuals are using this drain as a toilet, committing adultery as well as dumping refuse, which is unacceptable.
‘‘What surprises me is that criminals are attacking women and raping them in this same drain and no reports are made to the police, hence they have taken advantage of the situation,” he said.
And Manase Nyirenda from Chaisa compound said marketeers were the ones dumping vegetable remains and barbershops and hair salon’s were also cuprits.
Mr Nyirenda said there was urgent need for the local authority to start arresting those found misusing the drainage system.
He said the council should recruit more security guards to keep people away from the Bombay drainage to avoid blocking the drains.
“I remember last year some people were picked up by council police after they were found disposing refuse in the drainage and were fined K450 each. Therefore the council should not hesitate to arrest law breakers as some people were in the habit of disposing waste anyhow,” he said.
And Lusaka town clerk Alex Mwansa said indiscriminate disposal of solid waste was an offence under Chapter 100 of the Local Government Act Cap 281 and Statutory Instrument no.125 of 2001 on hazardous waste management regulations which also encompassed the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act no. 12 of 1990.
Mr. Mwansa said the Millennium Challenge Account-Zambia project largely focused on construction of secondary drains in the City of Lusaka.
“Council security officers are expected to arrest culprits who will be found dumping refuse in drainages and bring them to the Civic Centre for prosecution,’’ Mr Mwansa said.
The construction of drainages was being done under the Social Inclusion and Gender Mainstreaming (SIGM) and Information, Education, Communication (IEC) for the Millennium Challenge Account-Zambia (MCA) funded by the United States government.
