The community of Kanifing Municipality has been used to the traditional way of disposing its solid wastes wherein garbage trucks will visit households weekly. During those years, the Kanifing Municipal Council has to allocate funds from its revenue to pay for the services. However, with the eventual closure of many of these dumpsites because of their health and environmental impact for the communities, Council has to provide a strategic direction to how waste is controlled and managed in the municipality.
In this respect, certain issues and challenges relating to waste management in the municipality must be addressed. First, due to some limitations, garbage collection is not done on a regular and systematic basis and sometime the local citizens are not aware about its exact routes and schedules. Collection and transportation of solid wastes is done only once a week and even for this not all the areas of the municipality are covered. Another issue relating to the collection of solid waste is the accumulation of waste or the illegal and indiscriminate dumping. This is worse for the riverine areas considering the health and environmental consequences for the populations.
The Plan is proposing the establishment of waste processing facilities to enhance the segregation and minimisation of waste. Development of the Bakoteh Dumpsite to meet the basic requirements of a standard disposal facility is also being considered. Its feasibility will be considered as part of the implementation of the Plan.
To really monitor if the existing regulations and those proposed are/will be implemented properly, proper delegation of powers to the Gambia Police Force and a community monitoring Task Force will be instituted and strictly enforced.
As waste management is a complex development challenge with implications for a multiplicity of actors and players, it is therefore prudent that a sound framework for coordination, collaborative partnership and strategic alliances is established for ensuring the successful implementation of the Plan.
