Nampula mayor denounces sabotage against rubbish collection

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Nampula mayor denounces sabotage against rubbish collection

1:38 CAT | 16 Aug 2018

Photo: DW

The mayor of Nampula, Renamo’s Paulo Vahanle, says “people of bad faith” are sabotaging the municipality’s campaign to remove rubbish and beautify the northern Mozambique city.

Removing garbage and restoring the city’s beauty have been the focus of Nampula mayor Paulo Vahanle’s effort since his inauguration in April. The mayor says the work is going well, but there are “people of bad faith” who, instead of helping beautify the city, are sabotaging the work.

“The city of Nampula is no longer the one that was badly spoken of [because of heaps of rubbish] – a scenario much criticised by the residents. There are identified [garbage collection] areas, and we have collection schedules. But there are some people who take garbage in large quantities and deposit them in inappropriate places,” Vahanle complains.

“Political Enemies”

President of the Municipal Assembly of Nampula and former mayor Américo Iemenle, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), agrees that the city is gradually conquering its solid waste problem, but says that Vahanle is being harmed by his “political enemies”.

“It’s really a situation that happens often here – popular denunciation by citizens who are not satisfied with the behaviour of certain people who sabotage the work of the municipality.”

“Who are these people?”

“They are not very well identified, but I saw on social networks that [the vehicles used to illegally dump garbage] are state vehicles. So, what is this ‘state’? Ask yourself.”

Daily collection

At present, city hall does not know exactly how much garbage is produced in the city daily, but the president of the Municipal Council has said that collection capacity is estimated at more than 100 cubic meters per day. Paulo Vahanle has laid down public health deadlines covering almost the entire city. According to the him, the municipality has already spent just over 19 million meticais (about 284,000 Euros) on collection and removal equipment.

The equipment will arrive in Nampula by the end of this week, officials said.

“By the 22nd of August, when we celebrate our city day, Nampula will be clean, because we are committed to doing our utmost,” Vahanle promised.

Citizens partially satisfied

Local residents are apparently satisfied with the city’s efforts to improve sanitation, although they regret the fact that this is more apparent in the city centre than in the suburbs.

Egídio Nampula, for example, wants people in the suburbs to be “mobilised and sensitised so that they know how to organise and deposit the trash correctly in the appropriate places,” and also that mobile rubbish bins (wheelie bins) be made available.

Source: Deutsche Welle