14 Sep 2022

Maun Administrative Authority has been advised to consider up-scaling scanning of litter at the landfill site in order to avoid environmental risks.

The call was made by Member of Parliament for Maun East, Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile during a visit to the Maun land fill to appreciate the damage caused by the recent fire outbreak.

Preliminary investigations showed that there was a truck that disposed waste, which was suspected to contain hot ash from some business outlets. It was reported that a portion of three hectares within the landfill site was affected by the fire and that included litter screen and hazardous waste cell shelter.

Mr Kekgonegile implored the council not to rely on security officers at the gate but rather engage experts to undertake the scanning exercise, adding that scanning of litter could help to understand waste generation by type and source as well as waste collection and disposal in terms of infrastructure used, site, methods adopted and the risks associated with the current waste management. “Security officers do not have the technical know-how hence the relevant department needs to be capacitated to deal with the issue,” he added.

He noted that it seemed the council’s readiness at the landfill was not up to scratch, adding that heavy duty machines were needed. The council, he said was mandated amongst others with the responsibility of managing the landfill facility to ensure proper disposal of waste.

However, MP Kekgonegile appreciated that the fire was contained within a short period of time through concerted efforts by council and stakeholders. He thanked the private sector for coming forth to contain and extinguish the fire.

The council accomplished the delicate and complex exercise through the assistance of Project Sanitize Maun, Civil Aviation Authority Botswana, Khoemacau Mine, private businesses and residents.

He said private sector partnership was key in development and encouraged the council to continue forging partnerships to drive development in the district.

Meanwhile, in a public notice issued by the council secretary, Mr Motlogelwa Thuso thanked the public for their unwavering support and assistance during the fire incident, starting August 30 until September 8, when the fire was successfully extinguished.

He also thanked all private companies for contributing resources towards successfully putting off the fire. 

The landfill, he said, was restored for use.

Mr Thuso assured the public that the council would take all the precautionary measures to avoid occurrences of incidents of that nature. ends