K700m Mzuzu waste management project in limbo
Mzuzu City Council has admitted that its K700 million (about $1.8m) waste management project at Nsilo in the city will not be completed soon despite government’s order to have it in operation by November last year.
The directive made by former Minister of Environment and Climate Change the late Godfrey Kamanya was meant to protect communities, especially those surrounding the current dumping site in Mchengautuwa, from health hazards.
The site has been considered a threat to lives following the death of two children who consumed poisonous food from waste disposed there.
But when The Nation followed up on the project, it was discovered that officials only managed to hire a contractor (Thundu Contractors) to construct a fence, but the pace at which the project is progressing has annoyed European Union, financier of the project.
Mzuzu City chief executive officer Thomas Chirwa said in an interview yesterday he was not sure when the project will be completed.
“The contractor who was given the task in February 2014 is too slow, a development that has heavily affected progress. EU cannot release more money until the fence is done,” said Chirwa.
He, however, said he has cautioned the contractor to speed up the project.
Expressing his concern, Chief Kangawa Mhone of the area said he is surprised that city officials continue to dump waste at Nsilo, noting that by doing so, government was putting lives of citizens at risk.
