Govt calls for change in attitude solid waste management

Government has appealed to Malawians to change their attitudes and mindset toward solid waste management within their locality.

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Anna Kachikho said this Wednesday during the commemoration of the World Habitat and World Cities Day at Masintha ground in Lilongwe.

She said:  “We have noted that poor solid waste management has resulted in the occurrence of disasters such as flooding in some parts of the country, including Lilongwe City. Last rainy season, we saw Kawale and Lingadzi rivers flooded as a result of poor management of solid waste which were being dumped carelessly.”

According to the World Bank, around the world, waste generation rates are rising. In 2016, the worlds’ cities generated 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste, amounting to a footprint of 0.74 kilogrammes (kg) per person per day. With rapid population growth and urbanisation, annual waste generation is expected to increase by 70 percent from 2016 levels to 3.40 billion tonnes in 2050.

Kachikho said managing waste properly is essential for building sustainable and livable cities, but it remains a challenge.

She, therefore, called for all stakeholders to take a role in efficient, sustainable, and socially-supported solid waste management.

On his part, principal Secretary for the Ministry, Janet Banda, said solid waste is hazardous to health if not properly managed and called for the opening of dumping sites as a means to sustain them.

Lilongwe City Council Deputy Mayor Juliana Kaduya said every individual has an obligation to ensure that wastes are properly managed and that plots are developed in designated areas to avoid making their surrounding untidy

World Cities Day this year is being commemorated under the theme Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities.