By Correspondent in Uyole
DEPUTY Minister of State in Vice-President's Office (Union and Environment) Musa Sima has
expressed his deep disappointment over substandard construction of Nsalaga Uyole Dump building in Mbeya City.In the course, the disgusted deputy minister called upon on the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) to cooperate urgently with the area Regional Commissioner's Office, to resolve the problem, or else it becomes closed forthwith.
"All evidences show that no exhaustive study was made before building this facility. This is disappointing and deplorable.
From today, garbage collectors must stop dumping waste in this facility, because dirt goes back to residential areas," the angry deputy minister ordered.
However, he called upon Mbeya City Council to learn from other regions, which have built modern dumps and ensure garbage separation was being done according to the law.
The deputy minister was accompanied by the Chairman of the NEMC Board of Directors, Professor Esnati Chaggu, NEMC Director General, Dr Samuel Gwamaka and other NEMC technical staff.
Prof Chaggu said seepages from dumps, known as leachate, are eight per cent more toxic than discharges from households and therefore, leachate was enormously dangerous to human health.
She appealed for urgent steps to stop leachate spreading around, especially preventing the discharge from reaching residential areas.
Dr Gwamaka said the Environmental Management Act and its Regulations were very explicit on management of waste in dumps. The law, he said, tasks the District Council the duty of ensuring that waste are broken down right from sources of origin so that they become easily recycled.
He said this was the right time for the councils to ensure the separation was done professionally, adding that the separation had intrinsic entrepreneurial opportunities. Glass and plastic waste, citing an example, could still be sold to factories for recycling.
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