How many times do you drive by a house maybe yours and there is burning rubbish because the last time the Harare City Council (HCC) collected any rubbish in your street was in 2002 and people “had to make a plan”? The gross mismanagement of waste by the HCC has finally reared its unbelievably toxic head when Pamona Dumpsite caught fire on November 2016 with the whole country has been watching and wondering how the HCC could let things get that far.
The fire was sparked by a spontaneous combustion event, resulting from biological decomposition or chemical oxidation, causing a rise in temperature and thus instant combustion. The dumpsite is primarily comprised of combustibles such as plastic bags and textiles, which are not biodegradable and so act as a continuous fuel source for the fire. The complete lack of preparedness by site managers and emergency fire response protocols significantly added to the fire burning uncontrollably. As if that wasn’t alarming enough but calculations estimate that thousands of tonnes of toxic Greenhouse Gases have been released into the atmosphere (6 kg of CO2 produced per 1 kg of burning plastic). No efforts were made to evacuate the residents directly affected by the fires which comes as no shock as it appears most environmental management efforts to the fire were reactive not proactive.
Dumpsites are outlawed under statutory instrument 6 of 2007 under the EMA ACT. This means that the dumpsite itself is illegal and should have been decommissioned or converted into a landfill site in 2007. The Environment Management Agency (EMA) is on record urging the city council to come up with a proper landfill site and stop using the Pomona dumpsite that was reportedly illegal. Most of our environmental legislation exists only on paper, so even after all this damage is done no one will be held accountable expect the innocent residents affected by the smoke. Press statements from HCC from 2016, 2014, 2013 are almost identical. Which is a cause for concern as the HCC clearly has not done anything since 2007 regardless of being aware of the issue. The HCC however has history of not taking action on environmental issues unless instructed by the Ministry. The Environmental Management Authority’s (EMA) role in enforcing legislation is still unclear.
Dumpsite fires emit a toxic cocktail of ‘Most Wanted’ fugitive gases (formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen oxides, methane and carbon dioxide) which are capable of remaining airborne for days, and together with adsorbed contaminants pass directly into the bloodstream once inhaled. Residents in nearby areas have been affected by the smoke symptoms including coughing, sore throats and sore eyes. Vulnerable groups identified have been children and people with existing respiratory issues. The Mayor stated that those affected should seek treatment from clinics however there was no clear statement which party would be billed. The Ministry of Health has repeatedly expressed concerns of residents in the area getting respiratory related infections and seeking treatment from an already overwhelmed medical system. The Ministry of Water and Climate has remained fairly quiet on the matter. Shocking that they have no concerns over the potential for water pollution from the fire as during the fires an extremely toxic compound called of leachate can occur and seep into groundwater and other water sources, even to an otherwise dry site. The Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing also remained silent as they have been blamed for failing to locate a more suitable dumpsite to replace Pamona as was requested in 2012.
These fires often defy common sense as the precise chemical composition or cause of the fire is difficult to point out is some instances Cryogenic (freezing) approaches. Efforts included using water and sand which pose secondary concerns as they promote the leaching of waste into groundwater. The fire was reported extinguished on Saturday morning following a 12 hour frontal downpour assisted by a cold front reducing temperatures over the weekend. The best safety precaution the city should have taken was to ensure that this never happened to begin with. What most residents find infuriating is preventative measures: recycling, checking the temperature of the dumpsite at regular intervals all of which was cheap and affordable was not done and no tangible reason can be given by site operators, Ministries, HCC, EMA beyond blaming it on the summer heat. To truly tackle our service delivery especially when our health and our environment are involved we need as system that encourages social accountability which relies on civic engagement i.e. thinking before you litter, recycling, composting etc. A system in which it is ordinary citizens and civil society organizations participate directly or indirectly in exacting accountability. We as the people of Harare should hold our Council accountable and ensure this never happens again.
Main Image: Twitter
Wimbiso Simbi
