Strengthening Waste Management in Juba City: Drastic Measures for a Cleaner and Sustainable South Sudan

By Martin Mabior Garang, Juba, South Sudan

Friday, 27 October 2023 (PW) — Juba, the capital city of South Sudan, is facing significant challenges in waste management, impeding its efforts to maintain cleanliness and a healthy environment. To address this pressing issue, the Juba City Council must implement decisive measures to improve waste management practices and ensure the city remains clean and sustainable.

For example, Kenya has enacted the Waste Management Regulations under the Environmental Management and Coordination Act, which provides guidelines and requirements for waste management. The regulations include waste segregation, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal provisions. Juba could study these regulations and consider adopting similar measures to improve waste management practices in the city.

Similarly, Uganda has the National Environment Act, a comprehensive legislation addressing various environmental issues, including waste management. The act establishes the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for issuing waste management guidelines and regulations. Juba can also explore the practices implemented by NEMA and learn from Uganda’s approach to waste management.

Therefore, the city council can take several measures to address waste management issues in Juba and promote a cleaner city. These include imposing penalties on restaurants that do not have waste pits and desk trash cans, mandating the digging of pits, toilets, and septic tanks for non-compliant establishments, closing non-compliant restaurants, providing large desk trash cans for shops, closing tea places without proper waste disposal, and imposing fines and imprisonment for improper disposal of dirty water from homes.

The government is responsible for protecting and managing the environment for present and future generations (Article 22). environmental protection and conservation are fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution. The city council needs to introduce penalties for non-compliance. Establishments found without waste pits and desk trash cans should face a significant fine of 500,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) and a six-month imprisonment for the responsible parties.

These stringent penalties will act as a deterrent, highlighting the seriousness of adhering to waste management regulations and encouraging restaurants to prioritise waste disposal infrastructure.

To further emphasise the importance of responsible waste management, the city council should consider temporarily closing restaurants that persistently fail to comply with the directive to have waste pits and desk trash cans. This drastic measure will strongly convey that responsible waste management is non-negotiable.

By temporarily closing non-compliant restaurants, the city council will encourage these establishments to prioritise waste disposal infrastructure and practices, ensuring a cleaner and healthier dining environment for residents and visitors; this emphasises the importance of public health and promotes measures for preventive health care (Article 36) of South Sudan constitution.

To promote standardised waste management practices throughout Juba, the city council should take proactive steps to produce and provide large desk trash cans to all shops in the city, which is in line with the constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, which guarantees the right to accessible and adequate health care services, including preventive measures, for every individual (Article 14).

These cans/bins can be made available at a reasonable cost to shop owners, ensuring widespread access to appropriate waste disposal facilities. By facilitating proper waste segregation and disposal, this measure will contribute to a cleaner and more organised shopping environment while also promoting responsible waste management practices.

Tea places and other establishments found discharging dirty water without proper waste management systems should face temporary closure. By swiftly acting against non-compliant businesses, the city council can emphasise the importance of preventing water pollution and encourage tea places to install appropriate wastewater disposal mechanisms.

The constitution recognises the right to a clean and healthy environment (Article 22). Acting against establishments that discharge dirty water without proper waste management systems aligns with the constitutional recognition of the right to a clean and healthy environment.

To discourage improper disposal of dirty water from homes, it is necessary to impose severe penalties. Homes found guilty of discharging dirty water from toilets and bathrooms should face a substantial fine of 1,000,000 SSP, and the person responsible should be subject to a six-month imprisonment; this measure should be implemented immediately by the block leaders and the security organs.

This measure aims to instil a sense of accountability and encourage households to adopt responsible waste management practices. This measure will contribute to the overall well-being and health of the city’s residents. South Sudan’s constitution recognises the right to a clean and healthy environment and imposes a duty on the government to protect and manage the environment (Article 22).

The city council will undertake the task of digging waste pits and septic tanks for non-compliant establishments. The cost for this service will triple the normal cost of such services when done by the owners themselves. This additional cost aims to emphasise the seriousness of waste management and act as a deterrent for non-compliance. These measures aim to burden non-compliant establishments with the financial implications of waste management that they should have taken care of themselves.

By doing so, the city council aims to enforce responsible waste management practices and create a cleaner and healthier environment for residents. (Article 22) recognises the government’s duty to protect the environment. Undertaking the task of digging waste pits and septic tanks for non-compliant establishments could be seen as enforcing responsible waste management practices and fulfilling the government’s duty to protect the environment.

The waste management challenges faced by Juba demand immediate and resolute action from the city council. By implementing these drastic measures, including penalties, closures, provision of desk trash cans, and enforcement of proper waste disposal, the city council can significantly improve waste management practices and maintain a clean and sustainable Juba.

With collaboration between the city council, businesses, and residents, Juba can become a role model for effective waste management, ensuring a cleaner, healthier, and more vibrant environment for all its inhabitants. Let us work together to build a sustainable and thriving Juba city.

The author, Martin Mabior Garang, is a concerned South Sudanese youth and an economist, who can be reached at his email address: mabiormartin1@gmail.com

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