Ongwediva
Ongwediva Town Council has appealed to residents to desist from illegally dumping refuse in residential and business areas.
Andreas Uutoni, the spokesman for the Ongwediva Town Council, says the municipality has seen an increase in illegal dumping of refuse, despite council’s commitment to collect household refuse twice a week.
“We have a primary responsibility to collect domestic and garden refuse, but we have observed an increase in refuse dumping, especially at open spaces around town which is not in line with the council’s mandate,” Uutoni said.
Council also urged residents to inform the municipality when their refuse is not collected as scheduled, instead of discarding it around town. “If we are not doing our job properly, we should be informed instead of opting to discard the refuse around town,” said Uutoni.
Uutoni says the rubbish lying around town is an eyesore, which will turn visitors and investors, who may want to invest in the town, away. Similarly, illegal dumping of refuse will also compromise the town’s identity and the health of its residents.
The public relations officer further urged residents to keep the refuse until it is collected as scheduled, in order to maintain cleanliness at the town.
Uutoni emphasised that Ongwediva was selected as the Northern Town of the Year during a competition run by Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) in August. Similarly, Ongwediva Town Council has over the years maintained its reputation as a clean and well-managed local authority.
“We need to walk the talk and maintain our titles. We all need to play our part to keep our town clean, so that we can attract visitors and investors to invest in our local economy,” Uutoni said.