Two parliamentary committees have recommended that a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be done to evaluate the extent of pollution, health risks and environmental damage caused by the Ha Tšosane dump site.
The Public Safety Cluster and Natural Resources and Tourism and Land Cluster’s report to the National Assembly follows a petition by the Ha Ts’osane community and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace.
The two parties want the constitutional court to declare that Maseru City Council (MCC)’s dumping of garbage in their area a violation of their rights to well-being, safety, and health.
However, the committees say their investigations have revealed that while the dump site is not legal, it lacks an environmental impact assessment and clearance certificate.
They therefore, called for a clean-up strategy, including waste removal, soil and water decontamination.
The government should provide a budget for improved waste management infrastructure that includes modern landfill designs, waste sorting and recycling facilities and waste to energy project throughout the country, they noted.
“MCC should fence off the area and prevent unauthorised access and illegal dumping and provide designated zones for waste sorting to improve safety.
“MCC should also be given a budget for infrastructure development, in order to be expand waste collection services to all neighbourhoods to prevent illegal dumping,” the committees said.
They further revealed that the Ministry of Local Government has acquired a piece of land at Tšoeneng, in Rothe for the construction of a landfill although there is no budget to operationalise it.
Procurement process by MCC to get a contractor for transportation of waste from Ha Tšosane dumpsite to Tṧoeneng is also underway, they indicated, citing that a tender notice inviting interested bidders for transportation of waste from Ha Tšosane to the proposed Tṧoeneng landfill has already been issued.
