Mzuzu residents defy minister

Irate residents around the Mchengautuwa dumping site have defied Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Management Godfrey Kamanya by closing the dumpsite when the minister ordered that it should be closed in November this year.

The people’s defiance comes barely six months after the minister’s order.

The residents have closed the site by digging a trench to prevent Mzuzu City Council vehicles from offloading garbage there.

Traditional leader for the area, Inkosana Kangawa Mhone, said on Thursday he was helpless on the matter. He said he was also shocked that the officials from the city council were prevented from accessing the area.

He said as far as he was concerned, there was no shocking development that could have prompted people to close the site before November. However, he did not rule out the possibility that the culprits were from his area.

Kamanya, in an interview yesterday, said it was unfortunate that the people behaved that way after government considered their plight.

He said his earlier directive was solely to protect the residents and show them that there is a listening government in place.

Three weeks ago, Kamanya ordered that the site be closed in November to protect people from any health risks. He called for a speedy process in the construction of a new waste management site at Nsilo, a directive that was welcomed by leaders from Mchengautuwa.

However, officers from the city council were on Wednesday surprised that there was a trench blocking them from offloading the waste at the site. The trench is said to have been dug at night.