Green interventions for Kampala

Fruits and vegetables are grown on small subsistence plots and sold at the many streetside markets in the Greater Kampala Metro

GREEN INTERVENTIONS

for Kampala

JG Afrika, alongside RWA Group and Cardno

International Development, is helping to map out a world-class integrated waste management (IWM) and diversion strategy for Uganda’s capital city.

JG Afrika, a 100-year-old leading understanding of international trends and engineering and environmental technologies. This is compared to South consultancy, is part of a Africa’s more engineered-managed systems, professional team supporting the which we aim to help GKMA implement to The capacity of the landfill has been exhausted. Therefore, the local authorities are trying to find a suitable alternative site where large quantities of solid waste generated by the GKMA constituents can be disposed of as Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) better manage solid waste diversion and towards implementing a robust solid waste systems in the area,” Emery explains. management plan for Uganda’s rapidly growing “The project will also assist GKMA in national and commercial capital, as well as honouring its commitment to reducing neighbouring authorities, as a regional and carbon emissions, as articulated in the collective approach. Kampala Climate Change Action Strategy – a

Richard Emery – technical director and key instrument it uses to help mainstream manager: Municipal Infrastructure and IWM climate change response in all city services,” at JG Afrika – and the JG Afrika specialist Emery continues. team, which includes organic waste specialist The project is being carried out under the and process engineer Dr Jefrey Pilusa, are Cities and Infrastructure for Growth programme working with the greater team deployed on funded by UKAid and implemented by Cardno this project. Being among the foremost IWM International Development, which appointed experts in South Africa, Emery and Pilusa JG Afrika to provide technical and specialised bring extensive technical skills and learning services, based on the firm’s impressive track in the design and implementation of IWM record designing and implementing unique projects to this assignment. IWM solutions and project implementation

The GKMA is facing similar waste (design, construction, operation). management challenges to those experienced in South African cities. “A key difference, Kiteezi landfill strategy however, is that the GKMA has limited Currently in the concept engineering design technical capacity required to implement phase, the project focuses on diverting solid its vast academic knowledge and real waste away from the Kiteezi landfill and allowing businesses and investors to benefit from some of these recovered materials. In the interim, consideration is given towards establishing a methane gas-to-energy plant of at least 2 MW in capacity on-site due to the high organic content of the waste stream. Kiteezi landfill is situated within Nangabo subcounty in the Wakiso district and is Uganda’s largest and main landfill. About 14.5 ha in size, with its highest end rising up to 10 m, it is partially lined and features a leachate treatment plant that is no longer functioning as it should and as designed. an interim solution. This remains a challenge considering limited municipal land available for this purpose. The GKMA comprises very densified urbanised and low-density rural areas that are highly scattered. Most of the land in the GKMA is in private hands and owners are reluctant to sell it to the municipality at a fair price, more so to use as a landfill site. Meanwhile, as a very short-term measure, small pieces of land are being earmarked by the local authorities to help dispose of well over 28 000 t of waste that is still being sent to the landfill every month. Some of the waste is being disposed of at unauthorised areas, posing severe environmental and health risks to the general public.

Agriculture-based communities

Notably, most of the waste generated in the area consists of organic material, considering the strong agriculture-based communities in the country. Located on the equator, the country

has a conducive climate and fertile soils that enable fruit and vegetable production for the greater part of the year. For example, bananas, mangoes, citrus, pineapples and tomatoes are grown on small subsistence plots and sold at the many streetside markets in the GKMA.

There are hundreds of informal waste pickers who earn a livelihood collecting papers, containers and plastic at Kiteezi landfill for recycling purposes. The inorganic waste, consisting mainly of paper and plastic, is collected in very large bags that are rolled to collection trucks. This recovered material is then transported to various areas in the GKMA where it is reused.

The waste diversion component of the project will potentially entail finding appropriate ways of using organic resources as opposed to landfilling it. There are a host of potential landfill diversion solutions that still need to be assessed by JG Afrika, RWA and Cardno, ranging from home composting through to larger, community-based or regional projects. As Emery notes, no two IWM projects are alike. They need to be adapted to the environment and the communities that they serve to be successful.

Through this project, Uganda is also attempting to keep pace with the global trend of better managing residual materials. “The landfilling of these materials is harmful to the environment and causes serious health problems. Many countries are, thus, at the cusp of ensuring that all organic waste is diverted from landfills. In South Africa, for example, the Western Cape Provincial Government aims to completely eliminate organic waste from its landfills by 2027. This is a very ambitious target that could be emulated in other areas of the country via novel IWM projects,” he says.

Socio-economic impact of landfill closure

One of the main challenges of the project will be determining how best to manage the potential socio-economic impact that the gradual closure of the Kiteezi landfill site will have on the many informal pickers while organic waste is being diverted. There are numerous scenarios that need to be thoroughly assessed, and they will all require careful and extensive planning before being implemented.

There are hundreds of informal waste pickers who earn a livelihood collecting papers, containers and plastic at Kiteezi landfill for recycling purposes

For example, one option is to keep the landfill site open to these communities until materials become too difficult to recover. The informal waste pickers will slowly find other means of sustaining themselves and the landfill can, therefore, be closed without any further socio-economic impact. Another option is to help the affected communities establish small businesses, such as roadside markets and stalls, to sustain themselves as the Kiteezi landfill site is gradually closed.

Project funding

Timelines for the implementation of the IWM project are still uncertain. They are dependent upon the findings of the environmental and social impact assessments, as well as the ability of the GKMA to finance the project, including the proposed development of a methane gas-toenergy plant as a potential project.

However, the country has been very successful in attracting private and grant funding for projects, to date. Through

An overview of a section of Kampala municipalities, this is also used to fund feasibility studies. The country already has many bankable projects that are attracting further private investors and grant funding. This project is especially enticing considering the significant demand for IWM in the city, with many private participants having already identified an opportunity to become involved in providing essential services on behalf of the GKMA.

The country also needs more renewable energy to help meet its carbon reduction targets and it has a developing electricity distribution grid to support these projects. These are further factors that potential funders may find appealing.

“I remain very impressed with the country, especially its wealth of academic knowledge, which includes an intimate understanding of international trends and technologies. This continues to shine through in my interactions with relevant stakeholders. I believe Uganda is poised for great things,” Emery concludes.