Let’s tackle urban waste crisis

Malawi is struggling with an exodus of people from rural to urban areas.

However, the citizenry has not fully embraced urbanisation, especially balanced environmental, economic and social advancements for the benefit of the nation and future generations.

The nation requires a clear agenda for sustainable human settlements that are environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and economically productive.

The influx from rural areas has triggered public health challenges, including growing volumes of both solid and liquid waste that pollute land, water and air.

This calls for an integrated waste management system as we are already experiencing urban decay. This includes breakdowns in basic services, including water supply, healthcare electricity, public transport, housing and waste management.

Growing slums and shanty settlements pose a threat to urban health and economic growth.

To benefit from urbanisation, we need to re-orient the system to deal with the existing challenges.

For decades, Malawians have lamented limited capacity of relevant institutions to sustainably manage waste.

Currently, there is a mismatch between urban population growth rate and infrastructural development.

Currently, urban dwellers have low access to environmental needs such as sanitation facilities.

While authorities are doing their best with limited resources to provide services, their efforts are compromised without the necessary support from the public, which dumps waste anyhow.

The citizenry needs self-evaluation to understand how each one of us contributes to the piling rot in urban spaces.

We are all part of the solution in the agenda to keep cities clean and healthy.

While blaming local councils and other relevant institutions for weak urban governance, let us accept that there is lack of streamlined participation of different relevant stakeholders.

All of us have a role to play. Once we embrace our role and participate, we will fill the gaps.

Let us examine our contribution to the problem and participate in solving it.

If we work collectively, we can minimise the dumping of waste in undesignated sites.

Authorities legally mandated to govern the cities need to institute measures to better coordinate all efforts to keep cities clean.

The councils should facilitate consultations to obtain deeper insights into the prevailing conditions and how to engage all stakeholders in lessening the problem. After all, authorities cannot achieve their mandate without the support and involvement of other players.

There is a need to co-create the intended solutions and tailor them according to existing challenges.

Efficient waste management goes beyond provision of necessary bins, dumpsites and skip carriers. It mainly hinges on mindset change in communities where the problems lie.

Any support from local organisations to raise awareness would be ideal.

The media, market committees, private waste collectors and the public are all pivotal in conveying relevant information to the right audience.

Mass awareness campaigns will help stimulate and sustain the desired change, but it will only be effective if there is coordination and stakeholders’ will to collectively work towards achieve the ultimate goal.

Urban populations produce a huge volume of solid waste every day, but only a small percentage gets collected and treated. Shockingly, a huge percentage emanates from inappropriate dumping by elite city residents or companies.

The declining attention from public well-being and environment protection to maximising private gain or profit is a disease that we all need to fight.

Urban areas are centres for change where economic activities are mobilised. As they become more populated, their economic potential should be embraced.

All of us, as noble citizens, need to participate in advancing healthy cities for economic development.

Urbanisation is typically associated with increased waste disposal, so it is high time we quit the blame game and entitlement mindset. As individuals, let us play our role where necessary and contribute to development of our cities.