Africa-Press – Uganda. The community in Nakiwogo, Entebbe, have asked responsible bodies to remove burnt mosquito nets and debris dumbed near a school, saying it could lead to spread of diseases.
Speaking to this publication yesterday, Entebbe-based environmental activist and former councillor of Kiwafu East, Kitooro Central and Kiwafu West, Ms Asumpta Nakamya, urged the Ministry of Health, National Environmental Management Authority, National Medical Stores (NMS), and DAS Handling Ltd to quickly resolve the matter.
The waste was disposed of on the compound of Calvary Chapel Christian School in Nakiwogo, near Lake Victoria.
“It is a pity that a responsible organisation like DAS could dump such seemingly dangerous substances in the community and right next to the market and the lake. The burnt substances are harmful to our health as they compromise the air we breathe, a danger to the environment and the nearby lake. The owners of the nets, NMS, should be even more concerned about the disposal method,” she said in an interview.
On September 12, mosquito nets worth billions of shillings belonging to NMS got burnt in a fire that gutted a private warehouse belonging to DAS Handling Ltd.
When contacted, DAS Handling Ltd managing director Marc De Leu regretted the incident.
“We contracted a company, which assured us that they had an appropriate disposal facility, but we were surprised to find out that the items were disposed of on a private land close to the community, which is wrong. We have now got in touch with another contractor to immediately remove the items and dispose of them of properly,” he said.
Efforts to reach NMS for a comment were futile as the spokesperson, Ms Sheila Nduhukire’s phone could not be reached, and the General Manager, Mr Moses Kamabare, did not answer our calls.
A video of the burnt mosquito nets dumped near Lake Victoria trended on social media at the weekend with an audio questioning the rationale of dumping the items.
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