By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
NKANA Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) has handed over solid waste equipment comprising four dump trucks to Kitwe City Council (KCC) and Kalulushi Municipal Council (KMC) each getting two respectively.
The dump trucks, which are part of the utility’s US$63 million African Development Bank (AfDB) funded water supply and sanitation project for Kitwe, Kalulushi and Chambishi towns, are meant to contribute to improved environmental management through the collection of solid waste especially in low income communities in the respective areas.
NWSC managing director Diana Makwaba said at the handover ceremony the solid waste equipment that the implementation of the water supply sanitation project was aimed at improving access to adequate water supply and sanitation to the urban and peri-urban populations.
“The provision of solid waste equipment is meant to contribute to improved environmental management through the collection of solid waste, especially in low income communities where currently the service is inadequate or nonexistent,” she said.
Ms Makwaba said it was an obvious fact that solid waste management was a serious concern affecting urban areas in the country and that Kitwe and Kalulushi were no exception.
She said this was evidenced by the huge mounds of uncollected waste in public areas such as markets and low income areas.
Ms Makwaba said waste kept accumulating because the local authorities had limited capacity to collect it, coupled with poor waste habits by the community citing the indiscriminate waste disposal and poor willingness to pay for these services especially in low income areas and public places.
“You will all agreement with me that poor waste management is a serious concern that puts all of us to risk of different diseases and makes living conditions unpleasant,” Ms Makwaba said.
She said NWSC had further committed itself to promoting behavoural change on sanitation and had to this effect partnered with Kitwe and Kalulushi district education boards to develop and implement a localised curriculum on water, sanitation and hygiene.
Ms Makwaba thanked Government and AfDB for funding the NWSC Water Supply and Sanitation Project which was contributing to improving living standards of the people.
Kitwe Mayor Kelvin Sinyangwe urged managements of the two local authorities to put to good use the solid waste equipment given to them so as to ensure improved sanitation among the communities.