|
Dar councils should bear the blame for this mess
2006-03-28 09:28:12
By Editor
Finally the rains have arrived in the city of Dar es Salaam, even though not with a bang as many had feared.
They are nonetheless creating some havoc in many of the city’s areas as they prove one thing: that the city’s drainage system leaves a lot to be desired.
This, in turn, brings to the public eye the whole question of refuse collection in the sprawling city – which is still far from being satisfactory.
And no one is to be held accountable for all these shortcomings except the three municipal councils running the city.
Recently TV footage has shown pathetic dirty conditions surrounding the Tandika market in Temeke Municipality to the point that one would even say that the municipal authorities did not exist at all.
Some vendors place their foodstuffs, including fresh fruits and vegetables, on the muddy ground, oblivious to health hazards that include cholera, the disease that refuses to go away.
The situation is the same around many other slum areas.
Streams and canals that crisscross the city have been turned into refuse dumping places by some city residents.
They do this because the refuse collection services in many areas of the city are inadequate, if not altogether missing.
The arrangement has forced many city dwellers to employ their own means of refuse disposal, and lack of open grounds in many areas precludes the burying of such refuse.
We also doubt whether the refuse collection firms that have been contracted by the municipal councils to do the work on their behalf do so satisfactorily.
They appear to be working without strict supervision by the councils, even though they are quick at enforcing monetary contributions from the residents.
It is high time the three councils become accountable on the environmental and health hazards to which they are subjecting the nearly four million people of Dar es Salaam.
|
