Government says it will soon introduce the media awareness campaign programme in order to sensitize and educate the Zambian people on the importance of garbage disposal.
Local government minister Vincent Mwale says garbage still remains a thorny issue to most councils in the country hence, engaging people in communities through the awareness programme on how to dispose garbage in Zambia.
Giving an update in a ministerial statement issued in parliament today, Mr. Mwale disclosed that the programs would start running on ZNBC in the second quarter of 2017.
The program which is dubbed as : ” the state of keep Zambia clean” seeks to sensitize the public how to manage waste and holds them accountable in line with the Local Government Act number 100 of 2016.
Mr. Mwale said his ministry is working closely with the Lusaka City Council, Zambia Breweries and the Street Vendors Empowerment Foundation and has started yielding positive results on change of mind-set on garbage and participating in garbage programmes on some streets of Lusaka City.
On drainages, the Minister disclosed that the Chawama drainage has so far reached 66 percent of the project works while the Kamwala-Libala drainage stags at 40 percent.
The ministry would next week release K100 million Local Government Equalization Fund to be shared among all the 106 councils dotted across the country in an effort to address garbage and drainages that have become a norm in most communities.
The councils in the country are facing challenges to on inadequate waste management, equipment and infrastructure, lack of enforcement by law enforcement agencies, poor adherence by members of the public and lack of unwillingness by generators of waste to manage the waste they generate.
Other challenges are construction of illegal infrastructures on Central Business Districts (CBDs) , traditional practices, inadequate human financial capacity and budgetary constraints to achieve President Edgar Lungu’s vision of ridding garbage in the next five to 10 years as some of the major hindrances to ‘winning’ the garbage fight.
Mr. Mwale hinted that he would soon introduce the New Local Government Act in parliament that seeks to address garbage in a bottom-up approach.
The minister , who is also PF Chipangali law-maker, urged his fellow parliamentarians to pass on this message to their constituents and educate them on the importance of ridding off garbage in their localities.
Media awareness campaign for what? The town councils not doing their job and the residents are irresponsible too -punish both severely.
Mwale is not fit to be a minister.
Start by providing adequate bins in town and recycle bins. The more these are introduced the better.
The bottom line is -people dispose of their gabbage anywhere they can because they don’t have anywhere readily to.
If you don’t introduce public toilets people will defacate anywhere they can. You don’t blame the people you blame the government.
Where is Euro bind change to buy wheelie bins.
Thanks
BB2014,16
Mushota wa shota.. apart from the line on Mwale’s fitness to hold office I 100% agree with you! In our country you can walk for a KM without finding a ngungulu.. damn, its filthy. wastement is an opportunity for employement and wealth creation. People made billions from New York gabbage in the 1900s to a point where gabbage become scarce. We can do the same. Mushota are a ka girl?
90 percent of that hip of rubbish in the photo can be recycle…what media campaign do you need when you dont provide facilities!!
Councils need to go green and should invest in recycling factories for metal, plastics and paper. In other countries green refuse is recycled and packaged as compost for indoor plants. All the above creates employment and a revenue stream for the councils.
I will read later but let me say that for as long as street vending is legalised, Zambia will remain a garbage country and no amount of phrases will work. Every year we hear of keep Zambia clean bhut the country is full of garbage everywhere
Exactly how can you clean up with such people in the streets!!
U can clean up by following what Mushota said.. more money spent on talking about rather thsn doing.
Mushota will confirm, in the western world meetings are held standing up so that pipo dont get too comfortable and keep talking,but ACT. Come on ZAMBIA ITS TIME FOR US TO MATURE AS A NATION AND AS A PEOPLE
AS MUCH AS I SUPPORT KEEPING ZAMBIA CLEAN BWANA MINISTER I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO REACH DO NOT OWN TELEVISION SETS. AS MUSHOTA HAS POINTED OUT HAVE GARBAGE BINS ALL OVER TOWN AND WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN BWACHA COMPOUND WE HAD DUSTBINS ONE PER HOUSE AND EVERY FRIDAY THE COUNCIL TRUCK CAME AROUND TO COLLECT THE GARBAGE AND THE TOWNSHIPS WERE CLEAN. BUY THE COUNCIL GARBAGE TRUCKS AND COLLECT A LEVY OF K10 PER HOUSEHOLD AND IN TOWN THE SAME.