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Homa Bay should improve on waste management to provide a good and conducive environment for the residents, National Environment Management Authority has said.
The county Nema director Josiah Nyandoro said Homa Bay has continued to perform dismally in waste management due to lack of mechanisms of turning trash to treasure.
He argued that the county can generate income should it come up with ideas and appropriate ways of taking care of the environment through proper waste management system.
“Let Homa Bay government prioritise waste management to keep environment clean and safe. The county is still ranked low. Waste can be a resource if properly handled,” Nyandoro said.
According to Nema, Homa Bay is still struggling to deal with waste such as municipal solid, industrial, agricultural and hazardous waste.
The waste is found in major towns in the county with plastics increasingly becoming more visible which poses a serious environmental challenge.
Most drainage systems in the towns like Kendu Bay, Mbita, Ndhiwa, Homa Bay, Oyugis, Magunga, Kadongo, Rangwe and others are blocked. Runoffs don’t flow effectively in their channels.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Nyandoro asked Homa Bay government to regularly engage in collecting garbage to avoid pile up and blockage even though Nema laws require waste management to be systematic.
Most pile ups are realised when cleaners down tools due to delay in salary payment.
Nyandoro said Homa Bay is also having difficulties in dealing with large quantities of waste that is being produced at home and in markets every day.
“There is need to segregate wastes as per the law. Areas where garbage is being deposited should be approved and licensed by the agency for effective waste management,” he said.
Nema wants Homa Bay government to come up with modalities of addressing waste issues.
It wants vehicles and trucks used for collecting and transporting waste from source to destination to have license and tracking documents.
Nyandoro said there is need for dump sites to be fenced, have a motorable road for easy mobility and at least a security guard.
“Most dump sites in Homa Bay are operating illegally because they are not licensed. They don’t meet Nema requirements,” he said.
Nema has written a letter to the administration of Governor Gladys Wanga asking for compliance in environmental matters in waste management.
Homa Bay acting director of Environment and Forestry Stacy Otieno said they have listed proper waste management plans in the third County Integrated Development Plan.
She said they are planning to sort waste before disposal and have already identified a new dump site which will also be commissioned.
“We have applied for a license from Nema. We call on residents to support the government in ensuring they dispose of their waste properly,” Otieno said.
-Edited by SKanyara