‘MONITOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL COMPANIES’
LUSAKA City Council (LCC) should seriously start monitoring companies that have been contracted to collect garbage from communities, including the central business district, to stop spilling and dumping waste in undesignated places.
Leonard Chilufya of Lusaka’s Zingalume Township is concerned about the continuous spillage of garbage and construction materials such as sand and stones which were always littered on roads whenever they were being transported.
Mr Chilufya said the newly constructed Lumumba, Mungwi and Great North roads were being littered by drivers of trucks loaded with garbage or quarry dust.
He said the roads were no longer safe because spillage of waste was making the roads dirty as the trucks were not covered.
The Lusaka City Council should therefore start impounding such vehicles and charge their drivers.
He called on the Zambia police traffic department, Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) and LCC to quickly move in before the roads were damaged.
Mr Chilufya was worried that some newly constructed roads would not last long as a result of some careless drivers who were spilling stones on them and were driving carelessly.
“Some of this flying stones and waste flying out of unsecured trucks have caused damage to properties especially on Mungwi road where drivers collect quarry. It has become a danger to motorists and other road users because of flying stones,” Mr Chilufya said.
Another concerned citizen, Richard Zulu, called on the local authority to start arresting individuals and representatives of companies contracted to collect garbage but were dumping it in undesignated places including drainages which had also contributed to serious floods during the rainy season.
He said the culprits usually dumped the refuse in the night causing damage to the drains.
Lusaka Town Clerk Alex Mwansa said indiscriminate disposal of solid waste was an offence.
Mr Mwansa warned that anyone found dumping refuse in drainages and on roads would be arrested and taken to the Civic Centre for prosecution in the fast track court.