DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS WASTE DISPOSAL - ZEMA

By MacPherson Mukuka

The Earth today, has been subjected to a number of environmental degradation… the forms of dilapidation include: deforestation, soil erosion, and air and water pollution, land pollution which cover indiscriminate disposal of wastes.

Human activities world over have largely contributed to the depletion of the earth, thereby causing serious and to some extent irreversible effects. 

Zambia has not been spared from some forms of environmental degradation, activities such as indiscriminate disposal of waste is one permanent feature that is never missed in areas.

Some members of the public spoken to, feel the local authority has not done much to sensitize the people on the importance of waste management, while other feels the money payable for waste collection is too much.

And The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) says if waste management is to be a success story in Zambia, those responsible for waste collection of waste must be held accountable for the delay in waste collection.

ZEMA principle information and communications officer Irene Chipili says local authorities entrusted with the power to collect waste must also revisit their waste collection system.

She further called on the public to utilize designated dump sites provided by the local authority to dump in respective areas.

And when contacted for a comment, Lusaka city council public relations Manager Hebeenzu Mulunda complained of lack of waste disposal compliant levels by some members of the public.

Mr. Mulunda said some people have a tendency of throwing garbage indiscriminately despite the local authority’s efforts in clearing the areas.

Indiscriminate disposal of waste, if not controlled of gotten rid of completely has the potential to cause more injury to humanity that ever… water bodies may be subjected to receiving waste through streams thereby contaminating the much needed natural resource.

Another effect could be loss of soil fertility which automatically leads to loss of vegetation if soil harming substances are disposed in undesignated places.