Opinion | South Sudan’s solid waste management advocacy and awareness

By Philip Ayuen Dot

OPINION – The purpose of this vital Solid Waste Management article is to advocate and create awareness on the impacts of both solid and liquid waste management on the environment and ecological ecosystem, dumping municipal solid and liquid waste in the city of Juba at the site near Jebel Kujur, Nesitu area along Juba-Nimule road and other parts of the country, so as to better inform decisions regarding remedial action in South Sudan as an attempted to restored healthy living environment for all people in South Sudan, on June 5th 2021 the world will celebrate world Environment Day with theme: Ecosystem Restoration,

South Sudan facing top five environmental threats among them biodiversity, water, deforestation, pollution and climate change, pollution is one of the primary causes of many the other environmental concerns, including climate change and biodiversity. All 7 key types of pollution- air, water, soil, noise, radioactive, light and thermal are affecting our environment. All types of pollution and environmental concerns are interlinked and influence one another, so to tackle one is ta tackle them all, that why we need to work together, as a community to reduce the impact that pollution is having on our environment

Furthermore, we’ve all come to realize that ridding ourselves of waste in an ethnical manner is generally a good thing. As our population continues to grow especially in city of Juba, our use of resources grows with us, putting an ever-increasing strain on our country. It is becoming more important than ever for us all to make the effort in good waste disposal practice. The same especially goes for commercial businesses that may be creating excess waste on their projects. Industries such as construction and demolition can end up with a huge waste that, if dealt with correctly, can be reused again.

Additionally, health issues are associated with every step of the handling, treatment and disposal of waste, both directly via recovery and recycling activities or other occupations in the waste management industry by exposure to hazardous substances in the waste or to emissions from incinerators and landfill sites, vermin, odours and noise or indirectly via ingestion of contaminated water, soil and food. Emissions from incinerators are associated with respiratory sicknesses. Acute and chronic symptoms of respiratory failure are associated with incinerator emissions. There is association between developing certain cancers symptoms in people living close to incinerator sites.

In South Sudan, there is a serious and highly publicized pollution incidents associated with incorrect waste management practices which has led to public concern about lack of controls, inadequate legislation, environmental and human health impact. A large percentage of waste cannot presently be re-used, re-cycled or composted and the main disposal methods are land-filling and incineration.

In South Sudan, over the years, there has been a continuous migration of people from rural areas to towns and cities. The increase in the population in cities and towns is very high and is growing day by day. The uncontrolled growth in urban areas has left many cities and towns in South Sudan deficient in infrastructural services such as water supply, sewerage and municipal solid waste management. In many cities and towns in South Sudan, nearly eighty percent of solid waste generated remains unattended, giving rise to insanitary conditions especially in densely populated slums and estates which in turn results in an increase in morbidity especially due to microbial and parasitic infections and infestations in all segments of population with the urban dwellers and the waste handlers being the worst affected. Good Waste management is a part of public health and sanitation. And we believe that South Sudan Environmental Advocates (SSEA) can play this significant national duty in South Sudan. the proper disposal of rural and urban wastes is not only absolutely necessary for the preservation and improvement of public health but it has an immense potential for resource recovery.

South Sudan 2020 population is estimated at 11,193,725 people at mid-year according to UN data. These people are improving their livelihood through economical dependency on oil mining and agricultural production. Others are making their daily living through different businesses in the country. And all those human activities are generating both solid and liquid wastes on daily basis in South Sudan.

The oil industry in South Sudan has left a landscape pocked with hundreds of open waste pits, the water and soil contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals including mercury, manganese, and arsenic, according to four environmental reports obtained by The Associated Press

Therefore, South Sudan Environmental advocates (SSEA)’s program is focus on both solid and liquid waste management; through the integration of capacity building, broadly focusing on provision of training, environmental education, advocacy and public awareness for both organizations, government and citizens to consciously mainstream environmental management into their daily lives and practices.

A key focus of SSEA capacity building is on supporting community, public and private institutions in South Sudan to play a critical and complementary role in South Sudan transition to Sustainable Development Goals and green economic growth to manage solid waste such as oil mining pollution and etc. The institutions shall include national country government institutions, corporate, civil society organizations, (youth groups, women groups, CBOs and small and medium enterprises in the community.

Such institutions often lack adequate technical knowledge, skills and full resources to effectively respond to the country’s solid and liquid waste menace, mainstream sustainable production and consumption into business processes and control pollution, biodiversity loss, among other environmental challenges being caused by anthropogenic of both solid and liquid waste from industries, mining areas, homesteads and agricultural farms. Compounding the problem is the lack of technical and institutional capacity building to mobilize and manage resources for environmental management and to develop and deliver technically sound and impactful environmental initiatives to manage solid waste and better preparing communities for possible disaster, as well as reducing the risks of solid wastes to the ecological systems.

Environmental capacity building for all making the right reality; adequate environmental solid waste management capacity building is crucial for poverty reduction, crucial for sustainable development and crucial for achieving any and every one of the sustainable development goals in South Sudan. Almost 2.6 million People in South Sudan lack access to basic knowledge on capacity building on solid waste management and sustainability, even if other organization have tried we need to attain SDG17 on partnership

Finally, In order to bring sustainable development goals to our country, South Sudan Environmental Advocates (SSEA) is ready to work with any company whose Corporate Social Responsibility has anything to do with Solid Waste management, WASH and Sanitation, SSEA are skilled enough in any of these areas, from EIAs, to Waste Management strategies, so any interested community, company or ministry can get in touch so that we can reduce this menace waste in city before it’s too late. The organization also can do environmental impact assessments for the companies given concessions as is required by international law. And it is also available to work with communities grappling with Waste problems to map out strategies on how to restore the solid and liquid waste management for the purpose of clean city

The author is the Founder and Executive director of South Sudan environmental Advocates (SSEA) and can be reach via his email: Philipdot57@gmail.com or Web: www.sseasouthsudan.org Tel: +211922104999.

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