By Emelda Siama John Lopula
Authorities of Juba City Council (JCC) are appealing to citizens and residents to take responsibility of ensuring a garbage-free, clean and green city by not littering anyhow.
Juba residents have been cautioned that nobody should drop or dump garbage along the streets of the city.
Juba city deputy mayor for physical infrastructures and development, Thiik Thiik Mayardit, told said that they will be implementing directives from the governor to keep Juba clean and mitigate crimes.
Emphasizing on garbage collection he said “It is the responsibility of the people of South Sudan to keep their country clean, it’s you to make this country to be great again.
“We sat down with the directors and acting directors of the blocks to divide Juba into 13 zones last week. We talked to quarter councils in the residential areas to look for the areas where the garbage will be situated and the cars will be entering to the residential areas to the collection point,” Thiik said.
“We don’t need anybody to bring the garbage into the roadsides, because this country belongs to all of us, no one will come from above to tell us what we are supposed to do,” he added.
The deputy mayor said as South Sudanese they are supposed to do what is best for our people.
Thiik Thiik disclosed that areas have already been identified in the quarter councils, in residential areas where all waste will be assembled.
“You should put all the wastes into those points so that the vehicles can come and pick from there,”
The Acting executive director of Juba City Council, Mogga Ngwangki Laki said, JCC is trying its level best to make sure that they keep Juba clean and green.
“The daily collection of waste is going on, but currently the department of environment is renting one track for hundred thousand (pounds) and the tracks that are being used for collecting garbage were not less than 20 tracks per-day, it means, we use SSP 2million for the payment of tracks, plus the workers it costs 2 and half million however people are still seeing waste along the roads sides,” he explained.
According to Mogga 99% of waste to the roads, comes from the residential areas and markets.
Juba city council has no ability to enter into the residential areas and markets due to the lack of enough equipment to collect garbage, but Mogga said JCC is working hard to acquire some new equipment.
“Juba block will have 6 tracks twice a week, Kator block have 8 tracks twice a week, and Munuki shall have 10 tracks twice a week to go the residential areas to collects garbage, it will depend on their own scheduled we are going to do at the time being until we receive our equipment,” he lamented.
He further noted that littering of waste along the roadsides, in the marketplaces and in the residential areas by people who throw bottles like nobody’s business is not advisable.
“The services are not for free, for the beginning of the program we will give the citizens two to three weeks free for the garbage collections then after that, first class will be paying 6,000 South Sudanese pound, second class will pay 4,000-to-5,000 and third class will pay 2,500 pounds but we cannot charge our people now without the work done,” he added.