The Maputo City Council pledged this week to resolve within 15 days the problem of garbage accumulation that has affected several neighbourhoods of the Mozambican capital for more than two months. The municipality attributes the failure in waste collection to operational difficulties resulting from the breakdown of two essential machines at the Hulene dumpsite and the worsening of access conditions due to rainfall.
According to João Munguambe, the councillor for Sanitation, the Hulene dumpsite — the city’s only active final disposal facility for solid waste — has faced access problems over the past two months caused by muddy terrain and the simultaneous breakdown of two bulldozers used to compact and redistribute waste in the disposal areas.
“We began to face serious operational difficulties when both machines stopped working. Their absence prevented us from spreading and accommodating the waste, leading to the formation of piles that blocked the entry of trucks,” the official explained.
The situation worsened with the onset of the rainy season, which further hindered circulation within the dumpsite and disrupted the normal flow of waste collection across the city. “If we do not have access to the disposal areas, there is no way to continue collection operations in the neighbourhoods,” Munguambe stressed.
Given the severity of the situation, the municipality hired a machine to resume work at the dumpsite, allowing the reopening of disposal areas and the clearing of access roads. A plan is also underway to widen the internal roads of the dumpsite to facilitate the simultaneous entry and exit of trucks. With these measures, the municipality expects to collect all accumulated waste in the most affected neighbourhoods within 15 days. Among the areas with the heaviest waste accumulation are KaMubukwana, KaMaxaquene and Chamanculo, where more than 12 million tonnes of garbage are estimated to be scattered. KaMavota is also facing difficulties, though to a lesser extent, according to the councillor.
The repair of each of the damaged bulldozers is estimated to cost around 12 million meticais, based on the current average exchange rate. Meanwhile, the municipality reaffirmed that the Hulene dumpsite will only be closed in 2028, once the sanitary landfill planned for the Katembe area is completed. The public tender to select the contractor responsible for its construction has already been launched.
Source: Diário Económico
