HIVOS, LUSAKA CITY COUNCIL PONDERS ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES

By MacPherson Mukuka_ Lusaka

 The United Nations projects that more than 75 percent of the World’s Population will be living in cities by 2050.

This projection means that cities will have to use and generate more waste unlike before.

This also suggests that cities with poor solid waste management will struggle more because of the huge quantities of waste generated by that time.

  

To this effect, organisations and local authorities in Zambia are already making plans on how to tackle challenges of solid waste.

Hivos Southern Africa Hub has developed a solid waste collection mechanism dubbed Waste Lab in partnership with Lusaka City Council with particular emphasis on making Lusaka city sustainable and better.

This is in line with Sustainable Development Goal number 11 which aims at making cities better, safe and resilience for all to live in.

And Hivos Southern Africa Hub says poor waste management has emerged as one of the biggest challenges facing Lusaka city authorities and other stakeholders trying to address the issue.

Speaking during that launch of a two day workshop on solid waste management under a project dubbed Waste Lab, HIVOS Regional Director TANJA LUBBERS says only a small fraction of the waste generated daily is collected and safely disposed or recycled into other useful items.

Ms. LUBBERS said the situation has been exacerbated by inadequate financial capacity and insufficient implementation of policy direction relating to waste management in Lusaka.

She said through the waste lab project, Hivos seeks to identify possible intervention points from the concerted efforts of all stakeholders to maximize its ability of focusing on priority issues in the waste management sector in Lusaka.

Ms. LUBBERS said the project is aimed at addressing integrated solid waste management issues through supporting front-runners, social entrepreneurship and support to multi actor initiatives.  

She added that the project will also focus at influencing waste management policies and support private public partnership integrated waste management.

Ms. LUBBERS said Hivos is aware that so many tireless efforts by you all have been put into resolving the waste management problem in Lusaka and we do not claim to come with the silver bullet that will resolve the problem.

She however, said Hivos is confident that its efforts will continue to build on what each stakeholder has already began to do and looks forward to opportunities that will arise and enable the organisation to work closely in alleviating this important issue in the community of Lusaka.

And Lusaka City Council Deputy Mayor CHILANDO CHITANGALA said solid waste has remained one of the biggest challenges facing Lusaka City.

The Deputy Mayor who was represented by Kapwepwe Ward 25 Councillor PATRICK SALUBUSA said the challenge is among the causes of cholera and other diseases.

She said Lusaka City Council is gratified to partner with Hivos in bringing sanity to Lusaka.

Ms. CHITANGALA has noted that most institutions operating as NGOs have decided to work in isolation without engaging the local authority.

She said it is LCC’s desire to engage with every institution dealing in solid waste to avoid duplication of efforts.

The Deputy Mayor said there is need for stakeholders to aim at creating more awareness among Lusaka residents on the importance of good solid waste management.

Ms. CHITANGALA has since urged stakeholders attending the workshop to look at solid waste challenges and bring out solutions that will help make Lusaka City Clean, green and healthy.

The Workshop comes two weeks after Zambian President EDGAR LUNGU re-launched the make Zambia clean, green and healthy campaign.