EDIOFE MARKET GRAPPLES WITH LACK OF PROPER WASTE DISPOSAL SITE

Inspections team from Ayivu division led the division health inspector and the commercial officer plus trading center committee at the dumping site.

By Drichi Patrick Federick
Arua City
 
The Ediofe market and trading center in Ayivu division is facing significant challenges regarding waste management. One major problem is the absence of a proper waste disposal site.
 
Traders and residents have resorted to dumping garbage near the banks of River Enyau, which leads to water pollution, especially during heavy rains when debris is washed into the river.
 
This contamination poses serious health risks, including the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera and other infections, as well as attracting rodents and vectors that exacerbate disease transmission.
 
Community leaders, traders, and health officials have voiced their concerns and called for urgent intervention.
 
Clara Ajio, chairperson of the Ediofe women market traders’ cooperative, highlighted the difficulty in disposing of waste without a designated dumping area and emphasized that the lack of proper waste management threatens public health and safety. “We need help from the higher authorities to help us to rebuild our market and proper ways of managing our waste from the market and the trading center,” she said.
 
Kizito Dickens Acidri, the trading center’s publicity secretary, stressed that poor waste handling and inadequate disposal space are negatively impacting their operations. “There is no proper place where the vendors are supposed to dump their waste and we are facing challenges, the garbage is gathered around the roadside, they don’t collect it timely so it gives us headache.
 
Similarly, Mike Baiga, the trading center chairman, urged local authorities to prioritize sanitation and support proper waste management practices. “We need to sensitize people and tell them the dangers of what they are doing now because if they continue like that, remember what happened in Kampala how people suffered, they normally start like this,” he echoed.
 
Godswill Daniel, the commercial officer of Ayivu division, is optimistic that the introduction of digital payment systems like Interswitch could facilitate better communication between vendors and authorities, enabling them to report issues such as waste management more effectively.
 
“The Ministry of local government is developing a new system and contract called the interswitch. We strongly believe most of these issues are going to be solved because this is an automated system whereby the vendor also plays a big role” he said.
 
Denis Odama, the Ayivu division health inspector, called on households to take responsibility for managing their waste, noting that government efforts to improve waste disposal might be hindered without community cooperation. He also mentioned the potential procurement of rubbish bins if funds permit.
 
The community requests government support to establish proper waste disposal infrastructure and raise awareness on the importance of waste management to protect public health, preserve the environment, and ensure the sustainable functioning of the trading center.