Matia Samuel
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A lawmaker in the National Reconstituted Transitional Legislative Assembly sensationally claimed Juba is the world’s dirtiest city.
It was during the deliberation on the report on the South Sudan delegation to the conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) that the topic of environmental cleanliness came up.
The spokesperson of the assembly, John Agany, said people need to be mindful of their environment by keeping it clean every time
“Juba is the dirtiest city in the whole world; it is very dirty; you smell something everywhere that is not right into your nose, with the exception of good cooks,” he alleged.
Agany said the administrations of Juba City Council and Central Equatoria State must play their roles by keeping the city clean since the national government has done its part by tarmacking the roads.
“You see that there are heaps of garbage on the tarmac roads; the working shop owners and the households carry their garbage and dump it on the roadside.”
He said the garbage menace would continue to endanger the health of city dwellers if no remedial measures were taken.
“The city mayor should have been taking on this task of beautifying the city because it falls under their administration,” he said.
He stated that the Ministry of Environment must come up with a clear framework that can protect the environment.
“Let us have a very effective policy framework so that we can also regulate, and this can be done at the national level and state level.”
Agany, however, said citizens must play a part in keeping the environment clean.
“We need to acknowledge that our environment is just like our body. If you don’t wash it every day, the first person to smell your own body is you. You are the first person to face the danger of being dirty.”
In August this year, traders in Juba City complained about the hiked garbage collection fees, which, according to many people, were not consistent with the efforts put in by the collectors.
They claimed that the city council tasked with garbage collection is not doing so consistently, and as a result, they have to pay extra people to collect the garbage. This happens at the mercy of the city council officers.
“If you bring somebody to take the garbage, the city council arrests them, and you (the trader) will be fined for paying someone else to collect the garbage,” adding that the fines hit SSP 60,000.
The cleanliness of the city has been a hot topic that has driven nails on the coffin, sealing the fates of two mayors—Michael Allah Jabu and Emmanuel Khamis, who were appointed in an acting capacity.
Last week, the recently appointed mayor, Florah Modi, led a cleanliness drive in Juba after the Central Equatoria State governor, Emmanuel Adil ordered her to prioritise city cleanliness upon assuming office.
Utilities
“Juba is the dirtiest city in the whole world; it is very dirty; you smell something everywhere that is not right into your nose, with the exception of good cooks.”- John Agany (Spokesperson of Parliament)
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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