EXTEND BOMBAY DRAINAGE CLEANING – MINISTER

LUSAKA City Council (LCC) should extend the cleaning of the Bombay drainage up to Mazyopa because the stretch has been turned into a dumpsite, Minister of Local Government, Dr Charles Banda, has said.

The minister said he had

directed the local authority to enforce the provisions of Solid Waste Regulation and Management Act No. 20 of 2018 and Statutory Instrument No. 12 of 2018 to address the dumping of waste in the facility.

Dr Banda said the Act compelled residents and institutions to take responsibility of their waste to avoid the problem of solid waste management and induced general cleanliness.

He said the council should send police officers to monitor and prevent disposal of garbage in the drainage or any other open spaces.

Dr Banda explained that only about 2.6km of the 23km Bombay drainage stretch was handed over to Lusaka City Council upon completion last year.

He said the council had been maintaining the 2.6km stretch of the drainage which was handed over to them.

The minister said the remaining 20.4 km of the drainage, which stretches from Misisi to Kasangula Road, had not yet been completed and handed over to the council.

He said this was because the contractor abandoned the works with only 2% remaining before completion of the project.

“Millennium Challenge Account Zambia is in the process of engaging another contractor to complete the remaining auxiliary works. This is where the garbage has accumulated,” he said.

He cautioned Lusaka residents and the public against dumping garbage in drainages or any open spaces or risk be punished.

“I would like to warn residents of Lusaka and the rest of the country not to dump garbage in the drainages or any open space as it is a punishable offence,” Dr Banda said.