OKAHAO – The dumpsite at Okahao town in Omusati region has become a hotbed for scavenging, as people and animals put their health at risk with the town council’s failure to close the dumpsite.
Residents say the entrance to the site is always left open, allowing goats, children, and adults to freely enter and rummage through the waste for food, recyclable items, and other ‘valuables’.
On Friday, goats were seen feeding on rotting waste while women and children scoured the site for cans and scrap metal.
Others were seen collecting anything they deemed useful, all without any protective gear.
Elizabeth Shaanika, a 55-year-old woman from Oshimanya village, visits the dumpsite three times a week.
“I collect cans and metal to sell as scrap. Every month I make about N$1 000 which helps me feed my family,” she explained.
Young boys who were also searching through the rubbish said the site is never secured.
“The gate is always open, that’s why we come here every day. We pick what we want,” said one of the boys.
Another woman, who was also searching for recyclables, said:
“We were told not to take food from the dumpsite and to wear gloves and masks when we search through the refuse. Some people follow the instruction, but others ignore it. That’s when the danger comes in.”
Simon Nashilongo an elderly resident expressed concern about the animals eating from the dumpsite.
“The goats and dogs eat all kinds of rubbish plastics, dirty food, even dangerous things. It’s not safe because we eat those animals in the end,” he said.
A woman whose home is near the dumpsite complained of the health hazard posed by the smoke from burning garbage.
“The smoke from that dumpsite is too much. It comes into our homes and makes us cough. Our children get sick because of it,” she said.
Residents have called on the town council to close the dumpsite gate, enforce safety regulations, and improve monitoring to prevent further risk to human and animal life.
Responding to the situation, Okahao mayor Cornelia Iiyambula acknowledged the severity of the problem.
She said it is very dangerous for the site to be always open with people going in freely.
“The dumpsite is not meant to be accessed by the public and something will be done immediately to stop this,” she said.
She promised to visit the dumpsite, to assess the situation.