VICE- PRESIDENT Dr Philip Mpango has expressed dissatisfaction with the cleaning services offered by Green Waste Company in Dodoma City, ordering for termination of the company’s contract due to its failure to carry out its duties effectively.
The VP issued the order after touring various areas in Dodoma including Majengo Market to inspect environmental cleanliness in the areas.
While inspecting the areas Dr Mpango witnessed trash piled up in various areas with people complaining that they despite collecting the solid waste and placing it at agreed points, the company failed to collect it on time for disposal, causing it to pile up at collection points.
The residents informed the VP on the difficulties they were facing, including staying with the garbage nearby their areas for up to two weeks without being taken for disposal, a situation that threatened their health.
They said despite paying for garbage collection service the firm tasked with collecting it for disposal failed to do so on time. They said some of the collection points were nearby food vending areas, a situation that was not good.
Speaking to the Dodoma regional leaders shortly after inspecting the areas Dr Mpango expressed dismay over the hygiene status in the area.
He directed Dodoma City officials to take immediate action to ensure that the city is clean, including market areas and roads.
In addition, the Vice President also instructed City Council directors across the country to make cleanliness exercise sustainable, supervise it effectively.
Dr Mpango also directed them to shun working from their offices, and instead conduct regular inspection in the areas to ensure that people tasked with garbage collection task perform their duty effectively.
Speaking to Majengo market traders, the Vice President commended them for taking steps to clean up their areas.
“All Tanzanians should understand that cleanliness is the responsibility of every person in the society as one of the ways to fight disease outbreaks,” he stressed.
On his part, Dodoma Regional Commissioner Anthony Mtaka assured Dr Mpango that his region will be clean within two weeks following various measures which have started to be instituted in various areas.
He said that he had ordered district leaders to meet with traders to find the best way on overcoming environmental pollution in their areas.
Last month, the Ministry of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union Affairs and Environment) unveiled a work plan for its ambitious campaign for conservation and cleaning environment which seeks to strengthen public education and facilitate public participation and accountability among responsible authorities.
The ministry also presented the guideline for national awards for conservation and management of environment to a special committee for the campaign.
The implementation of the plan is backed up by work plan of improving society’s and stakeholder’s knowledge on sanitation and conservation of environment through major forms of media and social gatherings.
Also, through encouraging the society to engage in sanitation using prominent figures and statement of the leaders and different competitions, together with emphasizing on the use of friendly technology through research exhibitions, discoveries and platforms for environmental stakeholders’ workshop.
The major aim of this ambitious campaign is to accentuate accountability and participation of the people in beefing up efforts for improving environment conservation and social welfare to contribute on progressive development.