NEMA ED Barirega Condemns Landfilling Waste as Backwardness

National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) Executive Director Barirega Ankankwansah has said landfilling waste in the 21st century is backwardness.

Barirega was reacting to the Kiteezi landfill disaster that has reportedly claimed up to 21 lives. On Saturday morning, a section of garbage in the Kiteezi landfill gave way, burying houses and other property. Following the tragedy, the government and its institutions responsible have been put on the spot.

However, the NEMA ED believes that disasters like the one in Kiteezi are avoidable. He also revealed that such a tragedy could have been seen coming. This is because Kiteezi had been marked as a harmful site for quite some time.

“It exceeded its capacity many years ago. But because of a lack of alternatives, the city is still using Kiteezi. That accounts for the tragedy we have seen. We (NEMA) send our sincere sympathies and condolences to families that have lost their loved ones. This should not have happened in the first place.” said the NEMA ED.

According to Barirega, one of the biggest challenges facing the country is the management of waste. He cited other cities like Mbale and Jinja that are facing similar challenges with landfilling waste.

“I was in Mbarara recently and they are facing the same challenges as Kiteezi. Landfilling waste in the 21st century is backwardness. We should not be landfilling waste.” said Barirega.

He advised that, on the contrary, waste should be converted into wealth. Similarly, he mentioned that with the world moving towards organic farming, organic waste should be leveraged to make manure. He advised that this could be an avenue that not only Uganda but also the entire African continent can use to propel development.

Barirega gave an example of Ethiopia, which is generating electricity from waste, and asked Uganda to take a leaf out of their book. Additionally, he said that the waste can be used for making animal feeds and other important things.