25 Aug 2015

Kgatleng District Council is concerned about the state of environmental cleanliness of some wards and villages in the district.

Speaking during the cleanest ward and village competition held at Ramonaka recently, the District Council chairperson Mr Mpho Morolong said a clean environment is an integral element of good living and health.

He said the commemoration theme, Promoting the 3Rs (reduce, recycle and re-use), the key to a cleaner Botswana and sustainable landfills, advocates for recycling of waste.

Mr Morolong said with increased human population came development together with challenges of waste management hence the need to recycle waste to conserve natural resources.

He urged all to take heed of the theme as an endeavour towards the goal of a zero waste and cleaner society and sustainable landfills. 

The council chairperson further said the large expenditure associated with waste management dissipates to nothing compared to the cost or repercussions for failure to protect environment.

He said the council has since 2014 managed to outsource refuse collection service at a small scale through the use of donkey carts in eight villages while in 2013 the initiative was expanded to a medium scale in a community based refuse collection service covering 12 council wards in Mochudi and surrounding villages.

Mr Morolong added that the major achievement in the area of environmental cleanliness was the outsourcing of clinical waste in 20 health facilities and 118 home based care clients throughout the district.

He said another initiative they have called “Operation Own a Bin “encourages members of the community to have refuse receptacles where they pay P150 and receive service for a year or P200 for two years and a bin.

Outlining the objectives of the competition, the deputy council secretary of Kgatleng District Council, Mr David Mogorosi said they wanted to promote sustainable environmental cleanliness by way of competition and reward villages and council wards that are clean.

He said they also want to encourage community participation in village clean up campaigns and also urged them to take care of their environment and jealously guard against indiscriminate disposal of waste.

Mmathubudukwane, Sikwane and Ramotlabaki villages together with Makgophana ward in Mochudi have the cleanest environment as they scooped position one followed by Malolwane, Pilane and Ramonaka villages and Boseja North ward at position two, according to their categories, while Morwa and Kgomodiatshaba villages and Mabodisa ward in Mochudi got position three each. Ends