GCC overwhelmed by sewage spillage in SHHA areas

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Friday June 25, 2010 00:00

.At a GCC full council meeting this Monday, city mayor Veronica Lesole admitted that lack of funds to purchase new tankers has resulted in the accumulation of a backlog of over 1,000 households that have pit latrines and septic tanks that need to be emptied.

Lesole stated that the situation is very serious as sewage is over spilling in most of the SHHA areas. 'The department has since requested the department of transport to expedite repairs of the vacuum tankers,' Lesole said.

She revealed that the program is also considering engaging small youth companies to collect and dispose of the accumulated waste.

She also appealed to other government institutions to avail their staff and transport to assist the Ipelegeng management team in the disposal of waste from the drains as well as in cutting grass.

 She explained that in relation to supervision, the Ipelegeng Office has engaged the office of the District Commissioner to request for more technical personnel to assist in the supervision of the various Ipelegeng Projects.

Despite the challenges faced in the Ipelegeng projects, such as a shortage in labour and other resources, the mayor said the program has assisted in addressing the problem of unemployment in the city.  'Furthermore the environment in our city has improved as it looks much cleaner than before,' Lesole said.

The mayor also conceded that teachers face accommodation problems that end up negatively affecting the results of students. She revealed that many teachers have to commute from neighbouring villages to attend classes.

As for the maintenance in schools, the handyman initiative is progressing well, said the mayor. She said the only setback is that the general maintenance of schools has been lagging behind hence the call to relevant stakeholders for more funding to address the backlog.

The full council meeting will end on Thursday with a cabinet meeting led by President Ian Khama.