Gabs waste collection rated the worst
Maranyane Ngwanaamotho | Friday May 2, 2014 16:14
The report emailed to Mmegi by Statistics Botswana on Tuesday stated that households in Orapa and Selebi-Phikwe enjoyed the highest regular service of waste collection with about 95 percent of households covered, followed by Jwaneng with about 92 percent.
The Gaborone waste collection rate, meanwhile, was measured at 66 percent, meaning on average one in three households reported irregular collection of waste during the period under review.
Also in the negative was Sowa Town, which experienced a steep decline in regular waste collection from 99 percent of households in 2001 to 75 percent in 2011. On the other hand, households in Selebi Phikwe experienced an increase in regular waste collection from about 80 percent in 2001 to about 95 percent in 2011. Among the sub-districts, Okavango had the highest regular waste collection with about 47 percent followed by Central Boteti with about 38 percent.
The study also found that in 2011, burning as a form of refuse disposal amongst the main administrative districts was highest in Kgatleng District at 32 percent, followed by the Central District with 26 percent.
During the same year, 38 percent of households in the Central District disposed of their refuse through rubbish pits, followed by Southern District with about 35 percent. According to the report, regular collection of waste in rural areas increased from about six percent of households in 2001 to about 14 percent in 2011.
Furthermore, the rubbish pit method of waste disposal reduced from 57.9 percent in 2001 to 36.4 percent in 2011.
“This is a good sign because burning of waste, rubbish pit, roadside collection and illegal dumping as means of disposing of waste pose a health risk,” the report reads. Researchers have said the increased illegal dumping of waste in public areas and drainage systems can end up blocking them and contributing to flooding during the rainy season. These, in turn, can become the breeding ground for insects and rodent diseases.