Communities of Mchengautuba Township in Mzuzu, yesterday, went on rampage and restrained Mzuzu City Council from using Mchengautuba dumping site for what they say is total neglect of people’s health on the part of city authorities.
Council authorities, however, have challenged the community members that no one has the mandate to take control of the site describing it as a public place.
The people indefinitely closed the dumping site to any council refuse collection vehicle that wanted to dispose of refuse at the site.
Conducting a vigil at the site, the communities also demanded that the council should relocate the site considering the health risks associated with it.
One of the community leaders in the area, Justice Musopole, said residents around the dumping site are fed up with council’s unfulfilled promises of the waste site’s relocation.
“They have been telling us about the relocation of the dumping site to Nsilo since 2013, but still we see their refuse skips with loads of both liquid and solid waste disposing of here. We have been telling them that the site is wrongly located considering that it is within a residential area. We told them the place is putting people’s health at risk.
“We are here to send a message to the council that enough is enough, no more dumping of waste here. We are not going to move to our homes unless we see that the council has completely stopped using the site,” Musopole said.
However, Director of Administration at Mzuzu City Council, Victor Masina, described the site as public such that no one should take control of the land.
“We have just heard about the development but the land belongs to the council and no one should take control of it,” Masina said, claiming the council did not get formal communication on the community’s outcry.
He, however, assured the community not to stress over the dumping site disclosing that the Nsilo Waste Management Project will be ready by January 2017.
Mzuzu City Mayor, Councillor William Mkandawire, who is also responsible for the Ward denied knowledge of the matter.
Mkandawire ironically had earlier warned the council of the people’s likely action through a full council meeting held last month.
Together with Plan Malawi, the council is constructing Nsilo Waste Management Site at Dunduzu to replace the one at Mchengautuba.
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