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Kalangala Town residents choke on garbage
What you need to know:
- The residents said they pay monthly garbage fees of between Shs3,000 and Shs5,000 but nothing has been done to solve the issue.
Residents of Kalangala Town have decried poor garbage management in the area, saying it exposes them to diseases.
The residents said they pay monthly garbage fees of between Shs3,000 and Shs5,000 but nothing has been done to solve the issue.
Ms Elizabeth Nabawanuka, a resident said: “We do not see the relevance of the monthly garbage fee paid to have a safe and cleaner town. The uncollected garbage is a health risk to the residents. For the last three months, the littered garbage has caused a lot of inconvenience to both customers and the business community in Kalangala Town. We are yet to get a clear explanation from the leadership at Kalangala Town Council.”
Mr Mutebi Ssemukadde, another resident, said: “It is now a routine that the management receives the garbage collection fee from the residents but little is done to clear the littered garbage. The collecting centres are at many times very dirty and a health risk because nobody takes responsibility for them. The garbage is supposed to be taken to the dumping area immediately after collection.”
Mr Robert Ssebalamu, the LC1 chairperson of Bugala Village, Kalangala Town Council blamed the garbage problem on the lack of a sustainable garbage management plan ever since the town council was upgraded from a town board in 2006.
No garbage trucks
“The garbage collection centres and bins were supported by the Netherlands community through the VNG project when the population was still small. We have not had any plan to handle the garbage for a long time,” he said.
One of the garbage collection workers, who preferred not to be mentioned for fear of reprisal from his superiors, told Daily Monitor that three garbage collection trucks have been grounded for years and the only available truck has a faulty dumping system, which forced the workers to abandon it.
“A site dumping truck was procured instead of a garbage collection truck but it could not deliver,” he added.
But Mr Emmanuel Bukenya, the Kalangala Town Council health inspector, said a plan to have the garbage collection services handed over to a service provider is underway.
Mr David Maganda, the Bugala A Ward town council representative, called for calm as the authorities sort out the garbage collection problem.
“We are aware of the garbage problem that has troubled the residents but plan to table the matter at the district council meeting this month. This is a serious health risk that we believe the concerned departments have to address,” he said.
But Mr Godfrey Mukasa, the acting Kalangala town clerk, said: We have hope for a new garbage truck in the coming financial year to ease the garbage collection problem. We are equally unsettled and want our town to remain clean.”
