For
Kayleen
and
many
other
residents
of
Cowdray
Park
in
Bulawayo,
toxic
smoke
from
the
city’s
main
dumpsite
has
become
an
unavoidable
part
of
life.
“Children
and
the
elderly
are
the
most
affected,
and
sometimes
we
cannot
even
open
our
windows
because
of
the
smell,”
she
said.
“At
night
the
smoke
is
worse,
it
covers
the
whole
area
and
we
are
forced
to
breathe
it
in
while
we
sleep.
Many
people
now
have
constant
coughs,
headaches,
and
chest
pains.
We
are
living
in
fear
because
we
do
not
know
what
this
smoke
will
do
to
our
health
in
the
future.”
Ngozi
Mine
is
now
Bulawayo’s
biggest
landfill,
but
its
poor
management
has
turned
it
into
a
health
hazard.
Thick
smoke
and
recurring
fires
engulf
nearby
homes,
leaving
families
to
live
in
conditions
residents
say
would
not
be
tolerated
elsewhere
in
the
city.
“We
keep
hearing
promises
but
nothing
changes,”
said
Memory
Ncube,
another
resident.
“The
smoke
is
dangerous,
people
have
asthma
and
chest
problems
now,
and
still
there
is
no
action.
For
years
we
have
been
told
that
the
council
will
fix
this
problem,
but
every
time
they
say
something,
nothing
is
done.
It
feels
like
we
are
forgotten
people…
We
are
also
citizens
who
deserve
clean
air
and
a
safe
environment.”
Residents
say
the
situation
has
persisted
because
the
dumpsite
lacks
the
proper
equipment
and
infrastructure
to
manage
waste
safely.
Without
compactors,
firebreaks,
or
proper
waste
separation,
fires
are
reignited
frequently,
often
by
scavengers
burning
rubbish
to
extract
metals,
while
methane
gas
from
decomposing
waste
fuels
further
combustion.
Michael
Ndlovu,
who
is
raising
his
family
near
the
dumpsite,
said
living
conditions
had
become
unbearable.
“People
are
struggling
because
of
the
pollution.
We
are
breathing
in
toxic
air
every
day,
and
the
fires
at
Ngozi
Mine
never
stop.
Our
children
are
growing
up
in
a
dangerous
environment
and
the
council
must
take
this
seriously,”
he
said.
Ward
28
councillor
Ntandoyenkosi
Ndlovu
has
acknowledged
the
scale
of
the
problem,
describing
it
as
a
major
health
hazard.
“We
don’t
know
the
long-term
effects
of
the
smoke
from
Ngozi
Mine,
and
we
need
a
lasting
solution.
We
proposed
to
the
city
council
that
if
the
mine
is
causing
problems,
it
should
be
relocated
away
from
residents,
but
they
said
it
would
cost
about
US$4
million.
Environmentalists
suggested
that
we
focus
on
compacting
the
waste
at
the
mine.
We
support
this,
as
proper
waste
management
will
reduce
burning
and
smoke,
protecting
residents’
health,”
he
said.
The
councillor
also
pointed
to
opportunities
in
reimagining
the
landfill
as
an
energy
resource.
“There
is
methane
gas
at
Ngozi
Mine,
and
over
the
years
burning
waste
has
only
made
the
problem
worse.
But
if
we
do
proper
waste
separation,
recycling,
and
set
up
a
waste-to-energy
plant,
the
site
has
the
potential
to
produce
a
lot
of
electricity.
Whatever
investment
comes
must
also
benefit
the
community,”
he
added.
Environmental
experts
have
urged
the
city
to
pursue
a
mix
of
immediate
and
long-term
solutions.
In
the
short
term,
compacting
waste,
covering
it
with
soil,
and
creating
fire
suppression
systems
could
reduce
smoke
levels.
Longer-term
strategies
include
developing
a
waste-to-energy
facility
and
gradually
relocating
the
landfill
to
a
safer
distance
from
residential
areas.
A
recent
report
from
the
Health,
Housing
and
Education
Committee
indicated
that
the
Town
Clerk
Christopher
Dube,
had
advised
councillors
that
central
government
had
issued
directives
for
all
local
authorities
to
manage
landfill
sites,
following
Harare’s
Pomona
model.
“Local
Authorities
were
required
to
copy
the
City
of
Harare
landfill
site
model
being
managed
by
POMONA
(pvt)
Ltd.
Energy
was
being
generated
from
waste
at
Pomona
landfill
site.
A
lot
of
companies
had
indicated
an
interest
in
the
management
of
the
City’s
landfill
site
at
Richmond.
The
issue
would
be
tendered
out
inline
with
PRAZ
and
ZIDA
regulations.
Once
the
tendering
process
was
done
and
finalised,
the
landfill
site
would
be
properly
managed,”
the
report
read.