Garbage piles up in Maxixe, southern Mozambique

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Garbage piles up in Maxixe, southern Mozambique

2:01 CAT | 31 Jan 2017

For six months, garbage in the city of Maxixe, in the province of Inhambane, has been collected only in the city centre, while it piles up in the suburbs. Residents complain that they pay the garbage collection fee every month, but end up having to bury their trash themselves.

Sónia Fernando, a resident of Chambone neighbourhood, says she has no choice but to bury trash in the yard. “We are burying it, there isn’t a single truck coming to take the garbage away. It really would be better to send the truck and collect the garbage and have fewer mosquitoes in the area and avoid cholera outbreaks,” she says.

The scenario has worsened with the rains of the last days. Garbage and dirt areswept up by the water and pile up in the streets. But water and rubbish mixed are a risk to public health, resident Raquel Domingos says.

default — In the absence of other deposits, this trailer serves as a garbage container

“You have to chase up the municipality constantly. They know it’s their duty to collect the garbage and we pay the tax, but we end up burying the trash in our own backyards. Where does the money we pay go to?” she asks.

The councilor for sanitation in Maxixe municipality Rangel Siquice acknowledges that there’s a problem. “Most of the roads are still impassable, so we can’t make daily collections,” he says

Authorities promise clean streets in coming days

But the governor says the municipality is working at full steam to clear the garbage backlog.

“The main threat we have is the sand that’s invaded the city, but we’re doing all we can. Comrade President Simão Rafael has already given clear guidelines that aim at ending the garbage crisis in Maxixe city as quickly as possible.”

The councillor, however, reminds us that it is not an easy task, with 40 tons of garbage produced every day in the province’s economic capital, including cardboard, plastic and organic waste.

But Mademo resident Miguel Paulino simply laments that there is “a lot of dirt, a lot of trash”. Like other residents, he expects the authorities to remove waste promptly in order to avoid disease.

Source: Deutsche Welle