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New crack develops in Kiteezi garbage landfill, as KCCA orders public to vacate area
Scenes from the Kiteezi garbage landfill that has stayed open despite reaching its capacity. Last claimed an estimated 35 lives besides destroying houses in its vicinity when it collapsed due to blockage of the water channel
There’s a new crack that has formed in the deadly garbage mountain of Kiteezi and threatens to bury people or damage property if the garbage heap breaks up like it did two months ago.
The grim prospect of another collapse of Kiteezi was given by the recently appointed acting Executive director Frank Rusa while facing Parliamentarians on Tuesday October 15, 2024.
Rusa said he had received a report from the experts indicating that a crack had formed on the western side of the heap.
“I have received a report this morning that another crack has been seen on the western side of the slopes and we have asked the security agencies and sister local governments to increase the intensity of asking our people to leave the buffer zone because the danger is still available,” said Rusa.
Rusa told members of the Presidential Affairs Committee in Parliament that the technical team is working diligently to clear the blocked water channel, which has resulted in flooding in parts of Kitezi.
Rusa explained that since the collapsing garbage closed one of the water channels, the place has flooded, affecting nearby houses and now the Authority has started pumping this water.
“We are thinking that if we (can) raise the capacity to pump at least 10 000 cubic meters of water (10 million litres) in about a week we could have reduced the amount of water and therefore reduce the number of houses damaged and the exposure of government to compensation, we are working around the clock using a wide range of solutions to attempt to deal with this issue,” Rusa said
He further advised the public to avoid the area due to the development of the crack, which poses a significant threat to lives.
In a related development Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is in the process of procuring 400 acres of land for improved waste management in the city, following guidance from President Yoweri Museveni’s cabinet.
The move comes after the Kiteezi dumpsite tragedy that claimed over 35 lives, revealing the inadequacy of alternative dumpsites in Entebbe, Wakiso, and Mukono to handle Kampala’s 2,500 tons of garbage per day.
The KCCA Acting Executive Director Frank Rusa shared the plan with the Parliamentary committee on presidential affairs, saying the two sites are expected to be in two different parts of the city so that garbage trucks do not have to criss-cross the city heading to one destination. For instance, if one site is in the North, the other will be in the south of the city.
“ we are expediting the process of getting that land because of the volume of garbage we generate in Kampala, our city generates 2500 tons of garbage per day and uf you are to think about the great Kampala Metropolitan Area, its anything between 3500-4000 tins of garbage on a daily basis”-Rusa stresses
However, MPs, including Alex Byarugaba, Jessica Abakiku, Denis Onekalit Amere, raised concerns that procuring more land is unsustainable and advocated for turning waste into a resource.
In response Rusa revealed that after a discussion on the standards with the President Museveni, KCCA will soon begin accepting proposals from companies offering comprehensive solid waste solutions.
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