Health stink from disposable diapers in F/town
Pini Bothoko | Friday April 17, 2015 15:30
The cloth diapers were so common that families would stockpile and use them again after the birth of another child. They transcended family generations over many years and were only disposed of when they were very old or torn.
Families saved a lot of money by purchasing cloth diapers as compared to disposable diapers which are much more expensive over time, considering how a baby uses between three to five diapers daily.
Fast forward to today. The use of disposable diapers is established in Botswana. The most common brands are Huggies, Cuddlers and Pampers with the latter being such a household name that most say ‘Pampers’ when speaking of any brand of disposable diaper.
For many mothers, the advent of disposable diapers has given them the gift of convenience: Babies and toddlers can be changed quickly, while time spent washing the old cloth diapers, is now freed up for other chores or simply ‘me time’. However, the new era has brought with it some health and environmental problems that have rankled community members and civic leaders in equal measure here and in surrounding villages.
Borolong resident, Malebogo Bochena, expressed great concern about the issue of disposable diapers, especially the irresponsible people who discard them everywhere.
The mother of two said: “This worries me because diapers make our village very dirty. Ipelegeng and Green Scorpion workers are trying to clean the village but villagers make their work more difficult.”
Seakanyeng Tiro, 60, shared Bochena’s worries saying that the issue of disposable diapers being thrown everywhere in the village is an issue of great concern.
The sexagenarian implored young mothers to consider using cloth diapers for the lower costs and the avoidance of careless disposal.
“Young mothers throw disposable diapers everywhere and dogs, goats and donkeys end up eating them. This puts animals’ lives in danger because the diapers are made of plastic which can block their digestive system as it’s not easy to digest,” said Tiro.
Bonyana Kereemang, 31, said that some people put their children’s diapers industbins where hungry dogs easily knock them down when looking for food.
“I encourage mothers who are lazy to dispose diapers at the refuse collection points to at least dig pits and bury them instead of throwing them everywhere,” said Kereemang.
Commenting on the issue, Borolong Village Development Committee chairperson, John Mpofu said a refuse collection point has been built where people can dispose of litter such as diapers.
In the past, Mpofu said, people used to struggle with disposing litter since the landfill was far but after the construction of the collection point, there is no excuse.
“People are failing to meet us halfway in our efforts to make our village clean and environmentally friendly,” said a concerned Mpofu.
“We have been doing public education during Kgotla meetings about this but the situation is not improving.
“Even Green Scorpions workers sometimes do door-to-door campaigns sensitising the public about the dangers of indiscriminately disposing of waste.”
According to the VDC chair, in the past people have been intercepted on the verge of throwing away clinical waste in the river.
Boikhutso ward councillor, Themba Mbambo, said that although many people buy disposable diapers for various reasons, he is concerned about how some dispose of them.
“People dispose of diapers everywhere. Young children may end up playing with them and may become infected with diseases in the process. This is a problem that is very prevalent in other areas that I have visited in the city.
“It may scare away investors who want to put money into the city. Investors do not want to stay in places where their health may be compromised,” said Mbambo.
The councillor for Itekeng ward, Lesego Kwambala said the problem of improperly discarding diapers is so pronounced in his ward that many a times it is common to see a dog eating the litter.
“Some people even go to the extent of disposing the diapers in the river, contaminating the water in the process. Flies that feed on diapers will transfer the germs to the food we eat. We risk intentionally inviting diseases inside our bodies if some of us continue to indiscriminately throw used disposable diapers everywhere.”
The Francistown City Council senior public relations officer, Joseph Wasubera, confirmed that the problem of indiscriminate dumping of disposable diapers is very prevalent in the city.
“Diapers should be disposed of and handled in a proper way to prevent cross contamination, re-infection and transmission of diseases,” said Wasubera. “People should keep the diapers inside their homes in properly sealed containers and only take them out to the council’s litter picking truck when it is in their area.
“They should liaise with our office and their respective councillors to get the schedule for when trucks are coming to collect litter in the areas. Alternatively, we advise them to take the nappies to clinics in their areas for proper disposal.”