The rubbish keeps on piling up
Khalsa Rd, Kubukawa Rd residents’ reel over illegal dumping, stench. Again
Ashop owner at Khalsa Road, Suva, is concerned about the number of residents who dump their rubbish illegally at the front of his shop. Begum’s Mini Mart owner Feroz Khan said one of the contributing factors causing the illegal dumping was that the Nasinu Town Council fails to provide ample rubbish bins. Khalsa Rd comes under the Nasinu Town Council jurisdiction.
“People here don’t have any place to dump their rubbish so they just dump it anyhow. Neighbours are complaining about not having rubbish bins, and anyone who comes around just dump their rubbish in front of my shop,” Mr Khan said. “They do not have a proper place to dispose off rubbish therefore they sometimes end up burning rubbish too.”
He said the illegal dumping had spiked a high presence of rats that posed a major problem for him as a shop owner. Earlier this week another pile of rubbish was found opposite Kubukawa Rd in Tovata, Makoi. Residents who have lived there for years are complaining about the unbearable stench coming the dump.
Jone Tora said the pile of rubbish was there even before they moved in to the area.
“People living in this area think that this is a rubbish dump so they keep on dumping their rubbish. Sometimes when the strong wind comes the smell is so strong and we have to close our doors,” he said.
Mr Tora confirms that a garbage truck drives past the rubbish dump, but would do nothing to clear it away.
“Open dumps not only create a public nuisance by making the surrounding environment unattractive, they also pose a number of health, economic, safety and environmental threats,” he said. Questions sent to the Nasinu council’s chief executive officer, Lute Berends, remained unanswered with the council saying they would need approval from the Ministry of Local Government to respond.