Opinion | The heart-breaking waste crisis in South Sudan

By Beek Mabior

OPINION – Since the time when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between the North and South Sudan, the wastes crisis has been growing rapidly and it continued until the time even after South Sudan got her self-determination. The crisis of wastes has been affecting almost the entire South Sudan. The wastes’ crisis has been persistent despite the efforts by various people who want to control it and manage it in a manner that safeguard people, animals and the entire environment in South Sudan. Furthermore, the wastes’ crisis has deeply affected the major cities such as Juba, Wau and Malakal plus other major towns across South Sudan. Additionally, the garbage crisis has been a huge challenge to manage by several cities such as Juba and Wau. The wastes’ crisis has almost become a landmark for Juba city in particular.

If you take a look at Juba city dear reader, you’ll notice what I’m talking about. Juba is a beautiful territory naturally and its can continued to be lovely if only we can find a permanent solution to wastes’ crisis that has been polluting its natural beauty for many years now. The wastes’ crisis in Juba city is a man-made and Juba was not created with it by the almighty creator of the earth. It is we; the humans we’re responsible for it and we can find a sustainable solution if we’ve willingness to clean Juba and accept collective responsibility for it. Moreover, it is a responsibility of every living citizen and city dwellers of Juba to do their part starting with their households and residential areasand not just Juba city council solely. Furthermore, it is a right of every individual in South Sudan to live in a safe and clean environment.

If you take a look at Juba city, you’ll notice that the city has not expand that much and therefore, its wastes’ crisis cannot give us hard time to manage entirely. We just need action, positive attitude toward clean environment and desire for a cleanest city that we can live in it and avoid the culture of reluctance to clean our city. There’ll be nobody who’ll come from outside South Sudan to clean Juba for us. It is I, you and we who’ll transform Juba and make it clean and safe for all of us. Moreover, the same apply with the other places of South Sudan where waste is also a crisis facing them. Additionally, I’d like to put it clearly without any fear of contradiction that Juba City Council alone cannot and will never manage to solve by themselves the garbage crisis facing Juba. It is a fact and its needs to be accepted with complete sincerity.

They’ve been trying for years and there’s no permanent solution to wastes’ crisis until now. The best durable solution is for the Juba city council to sub-contract other private companies to do the task of collecting and managing wastes around the entire city of Juba while the Juba city council take the supervision role to oversee the activities of private companies collecting and managing wastes in Juba. They private companies should be allow to collect money from those whom they manage their liquid and solid wastes and they’ll be paying taxes only to Juba City Council and other authorities. Those private companies will be in charge of wastes collection around the cityand should be assign to different residential areas and should be held accountable in case they fail to do their task as expected. The Juba city council will have powers to summon and demand an explanation in case of any failure by private companies to carry out their duties as per the agreement and expectation.

Furthermore, they residents of Juba city have been complaining for many years up to now about the dirty state of the city. They’ve been complaining that they pay money to the Juba city council to collect wastes from their premises but unfortunately, at the end of the day, there’re no positive results in term of cleanness and the city still remain dirty and they wonder why Juba city council is not managing wastes as expected by them. They’ve a right to complain because they want clean and safe environment that’s free from water borne diseases such as cholera which’s common across South Sudan and Juba city in particular during rainy season.  Moreover, they’re also taxpayers remember and they expect quality services from their authorities. Finally, it is very possible to clean Juba city and make it one of the cleanest cities in Africa like Kigali of Rwanda.

We South Sudan Environmental Advocates (SSEA) have the whole information of how Kigali of Rwanda became the top cleanest city in Africa. One of our experts went to Kigali to studied and find out how Rwandesecitizens made it to build the cleanest city in Africa because we need to really find a durable solution to Juba’s dirtiness. We can share the information with whoever is willing to participate and offer their supportin the cleaning of Juba city!! We can share capacity building with those who desire a cleanest Juba city! We can help transform Juba city into a cleanest city just like Kigali of Rwanda in Africa. It is doable and achievable. Conclusively, our environmental partner, CLENA SUSTAINABLE FUTURE, a Swedish international environmental company based in Europe is with South Sudan Environmental Advocates (SSEA) in this hygienic plan and desire of wanting to transform Juba city hygienically.

They’re very much willing to share their experiences, skills and knowledge on how they managed to transform Swedish cities and made them amongst cleanest cities in Europe. We discussed extensively with them on how best we can transform South Sudan’s cities and especially Juba city first because it is our national symbol to the outside world and it is where our central government as South Sudanese people is headquartered and we must clean it. We can clean and transform Juba city if only Juba City Council can corporate with us and accept our key recommendations wholeheartedly for Juba’s cleanness. Let them corporate with our solutions and you’ll be surprise dear reader with the complete cleanness and transformation that Juba city will experience for the first time since the creation of Adam and Eve on earth. It is an indisputable reality and not a guesswork!

The author is the National Project Coordinator of South Sudan Environmental Advocates (SSEA) and can reached by via his Email: beekmabior2020ssea@gmail.com Web: www.sseasouthsudan.org.

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