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THE Ombudsman’s Office has condemned the poor state of some dumping sites around the country, with children left to play in the septic dam at Grootfontein.

In a recent annual report, the Ombudsman’s Office says the environment is under threat due to poor waste management practices.

“Therefore, waste disposal sites that are badly sited, designated and separated, increase the risk of soil, water and atmospheric pollution,” the report reads.

This comes as the environment minister Pohamba Shifeta previously warned that local authorities could be sued for their deplorable dumpsites.

The environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda yesterday said the findings of the Ombudsman’s Office on the dumpsites and septic dam have been their long struggle with local authorities in the country.

“The ministry is concerned about the state of the dumpsites in most of our towns. These sites do not comply with the standards set by the ministry through the waste management strategy,” he said.

Other than closing the sites, the ministry cannot hold repeat offenders accountable except by involving the police.

“We have gone as far as closing down these sites so that we ensure compliance and issue compliance orders to some councils and municipalities,” he said.

During its visit to three regions, the Ombudsman’s Office investigated eight sites to deal with concerns over the over-utilisation of living natural resources, and the irrational exploration and destruction of ecosystems.

One of the sites is at Grootfontein, where children swim in the town’s septic dam that is unsecured. The Ombudsman’s Office says this could be fatal as they might drown.

Septic dams or tanks are commonly used in rural areas in place of sewer systems to treat human waste and separate solids and liquids in wastewater.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that proper maintenance of septic tanks is a public health necessity. Historically, major epidemics of cholera and typhoid fever were primarily caused by improper disposal of wastewater.

Furthermore, the dumpsite, which is situated five kilometres from the town, is also home to five people who live in the area.

“The dumping site has no fence or sign board. The road is easy to access and not well maintained. We found five people who informed us that they live at the dumping site,” the report reads.

HEALTH HAZARD

At Outjo, illegal dumping is evident across the town, this is despite the fact that there are two designated dumping sites.

According to the report, Outjo has two dumping sites – one located close to the houses and one is outside the town, but both sites are not closed off.

“Some residents collect food and other items from the dumping sites,” the report says.

Despite this, the municipality told the Ombudsman’s Office that it has a waste management plan in place.

“The residents of the town are provided with domestic waste containers and these waste bins are removed on a weekly basis,” the report reads.

At Kalkfeld, the Ombudsman’s Office team where found drains without covers, blocked and overflowing.

“The dumping [site] is not fenced off neither were there any warning signs. The officials at the resettlement office informed us that residents steal the drain tops and throw solid objects into the drains, causing blockages,” the report reads, adding that these blockages affect the settlement’s waste management system.

Similarly, the dumping sites for both solid and liquid waste at Katima Mulilo are not properly managed, says the report.

“We found the solid waste site overflowing with litter and the waste appeared to have been there for a very long time. The area surrounding the liquid waste site is not regularly cleaned, as was evident by vegetation such as tall grass, small trees and weeds,” the report says.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism closed down Katima Mulilo’s dump site.

At Bukalo village, the team found untreated and dry sludge and sewage spillage on the ground.

“All these sites pose serious health hazards to the inhabitants and place immense pressure on the environment because of poor waste management practices which inevitably lead to the degradation of our environment,” the report reads.

The report says there is no supervision at the Bukalo dumping site to protect the infrastructure and to assist in separating the solid waste.

“Waste disposal sites that are badly sited, designated and operated increase the risk of soil, water and atmospheric pollution inevitably causing damage to the environment,” the report says.

The Katima Mulilo council has indicated plans to rehabilitate the dumpsite and has identified a piece of land, 15km out of town, while the Bukalo Village Council has not given the Ombudsman’s Office a response.