City to Construct Primary Dump Sites

Dec 19 , 2018. By BERHANE HAILEMARIAM ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

The Addis Abeba Solid Waste Administration Agency is set to build 74 primary dump collection sites across all districts of the city. They will replace the current 819 open-air dump collection containers around the city.

The tender processes for 32 of the sites have been completed, and their construction will cost the city 114.9 million Br.

"This project will address the continuous grievances raised by residents over the open-air collection containers," Nibret Dessie, technology and project implementation team leader of the Agency, said. "The smell arising from the dump containers has also been a source of disease for the public."

Each of the new sites will occupy 500Sqm of land, while the buildings rest on 364Sqm, with a plan to complete the project by 2019. Currently, the construction is being undertaken by nine contractors in 16 places in eight districts. Their progress rate varies between 10pc to 80pc completion.

The construction has started at Bole, Kolfe, Yeka, Addis Ketema, Qirkos, Lideta, Nifas Silk and Aqaqi districts. Six of the 16 sites currently under construction are in Kolfe and Addis Ketema districts.

The construction cost for each of the sites ranges between 2.6 million Br and 3.9 million Br.

"It depends on the topography and size of the land, and the distance from the centre of the city," said Nibret.

The Addis Abeba City Construction Bureau prepared the design for the sites, while construction supervision is being carried out by each of the district’s construction offices.

The Lideta primary dump site is one of the sites that has reached 80pc completion. It will have a concrete slab roof and fenced premises to reduce the smell.

The site will have a place for a dump container, guardroom, shower, restroom, changing cubicles and room for pressing machine. The last one presses the dry waste before they are taken to Repi landfill.

The maximum number of construction sites will take place in Kolfe and Bole districts, with 15 and 13 sites, respectively; while Yeka and Nifas silk follow with 10 places each. The other districts will have between three to six sites. The number of primary dump sites for each district depends on the area of the district and the accessibility of the land.

All districts have provided land for construction, except Arada, where the city land management office could not avail any vacant place and for which the Agency is awaiting an answer, according to Nibret.

Currently, the city uses 819 open-air dump collection containers, for which around 600 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perform the collecting. They are already organised in clusters of 74 and have purchased 117 garbage trucks.

"This enables the agency to assign a minimum of one vehicle a site and collect the waste every 24 hours," Nibret said.

The Agency has 44 compactors, 112 dumpster carrier trucks and seven side loaders, while the city generates 3,200tn of dry waste a day and burns about 1,400tn in the Repi dump sites.

Teshome Soromessa (PhD), chairman for Centre for Environmental Science and lecturer at Addis Abeba University, believes the city is taking a step in the right direction. He adds that residents of the city also have to play their part.

“The residents of the city have to cooperate with the administration by segregating waste in a convenient manner, which can be used for recycling as well as converting to energy,” according to him.

PUBLISHED ON Dec 19,2018 [ VOL 19 , NO 973]