Submit formal complaints, C/belt residents advised

By DAVID KANDUZA –

RESIDENTS on the Copperbelt have been advised to submit formal complaints to local authorities over noise pollution.
This follows complaints by residents who have been exposed to chanting of political slogans, sporadic honking, playing of political jingles and vuvuzelas in the early hours until night.
In Kitwe residents complained that sirens have been used by cadres in their campaigns which amounted to noise pollution.
Statutory instrument number 44 of 2007 under local government chapter 281 of the laws of Zambia states that playing loud music likely to disturb residents, will attract a penalty fee of at least K450,000.
Some Ndola residents in Kansenshi and Chifubu Township appealed to the local authority to end the vice by ensuring that cadres from political parties participating in this years’ election stop disturbing people.
They said the council should ensure that political parties conducted their campaigns peacefully.
But Ndola City Council public relations manager Roy Kuseka said the council can only make a move when residents make formal complaints to the local authority when they experience cases of noise pollution
Mr Kuseka said the local authority believed in dialogue and that when there were such cases the local authority would summon the particular political party involved in noise pollution.
He said the local authority cannot take any action at the moment as it had not received a formal complaint.
Mr Kuseka, however, appealed to political parties to conduct their campaigns in harmony with the laws.
In Chingola some residents expressed concern at the loud music played in township by mobile vehicles until early hours of the morning hence disturbing their peace.
The local authorities in Kitwe and Chingola were engaged in official duties when contacted for a response.

Use sewer effluent to make bio-fuel­-Garden residents
By JAJAH COULIBALY-
RESIDENTS of Garden Township in Lusaka have urged investors in Zambia to utilise the sewer pond in the area and establish a bio-fuel company.
The residents further asked the Ministry of Energy to work in conjunction with residents to ensure that the production of the bio-fuels from the effluent created jobs for the locals once it starts operating.
According to experts the effluent can be used to make a lot of useful products like charcoal which could in turn help to avert the energy crisis the country was currently facing.
Oscar Mulenga who is a charcoal burner urged the Government to immediately conduct a survey and engage an investor to fully utilise the sewer pond.
“I make charcoal out of sewer effluent which is used on special braziers and people cook food using the same products,” he said.
But Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company public relations officer Nshamba Muzungu said the stench from the sewer affluent would always be as it was the nature of the facility.

 Broken down LCC compactor derails works

By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has for the past one year failed to compact waste at Chunga dumpsite in Lusaka because the only landfill compactor machine has broken down.
LCC now requires more than K3 million to buy a new landfill compactor machine or secure approximately K2 million to have it repaired.
LCC public health department senior environmental health officer Edgar Mulwanda said this in Lusaka at the weekend when he led Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Deputy Minister Davies Mwango, among other officials, to the dumpsite.
Mr Mulwanda said the LCC opted to use loaders while it mobilised resources to buy a new landfill compactor machine, but that the work done by the loaders could not be compared to that of a landfill compactor.
“The cost of repairing it (landfill compactor) is equal to almost buying a new one, so the council is planning to get a new one,” he said.
Mr Mulwanda said the absence of a landfill compactor machine resulted in hips of garbage which was only moved instead of being compacted and that was also the reason for the failure to put out fire at the dumpsite.
He said the fire at the dumpsite was not caused by the LCC, but by marketeers who mixed garbage with ash.
Mr Mulwanda said also that the LCC was collaborating with companies involved in waste recycling in a bid to reduce the amount of garbage generated at the site as currently the Chunga dumpsite recived between 350 to 400 tonnes of waste daily.

Lusaka settlers face eviction
By JAJAH COULIBALY –
LUSAKA West Township residents have been threatened with eviction by the owner of the land after failing to pay the K2.5 million he is demanding from them for settling on an illegal land.
The residents have since asked the Government to intervene in the matter saying they could not afford to pay the required amount.
The affected families claimed they had settled on the land for a decade after buying it from political  cadres.
A seven-room house belonging to a widow was recently demolished following orders from the authorities leaving the family in cold nights.
“We have nowhere else to go, this is the land we bought from political cadres not knowing it belonged to someone else. We have lived here for years so we don’t have anywhere. We will  stay here until the Government intervenes,” they said.
And Chilanga District Commissioner Edith Muwana said negotiations between the Government and the land owner were underway and she hoped the issue would be concluded before the end of the week.
Ms Muwana said although the Government was not in any way obliged to compensate such illegal squatters, it would see how best it could help the affected families.

Kafue council warns bars allowing underage patrons

By CHIPEMA SAKAIMBO –
THE Kafue Municipal Council (KMC) has warned of prosecution and shutting down of bars and night clubs whose owners are allowing underage citizens to patronise their premises.
KMC public relations officer Bertha Chola said there was need for bar owners to ensure that laws were followed and respected.
Ms Chola told the Sunday Times that the local authority would soon swing into action to inspect bars and night clubs to ensure that they were operating within the confines of the law.
She had since warned that bars and night clubs found guilty of entertaining underage clients would be closed down.
Ms Chola said the council would not renew trading licenses of bars and night clubs contravening the law.
She had since urged bars and night club owners to pay attention to the timely warning from the council .

Stop Tujilijili trade, cry Bauleni residents

By CHIPEMA SAKAIMBO-
RESIDENTS of Bauleni Township in Lusaka have complained about the resurfacing of the highly intoxicating illicit alcohol popularly known as Tujilijili.
They said that the illicit beer was a danger to society as it promoted crime and alcoholism in the area especially among the unemployed, youths and women.
Gertrude Musonda a resident of Bauleni Township said some youths would get drunk as early as 06:00hrs and this would result in less productivity in the area.
Ms Musonda said even under-age persons were consuming Tujilijili in large quantities because it was cheap and would not even consider diluting the highly concentrated alcohol which posed as a danger to health.
“This beer is very harmful to a person’s heath because it is very highly concentrated but alot of young folks have continued abusing the beer here in Bauleni because it is very cheap,”she said.
She has since appealed to Lusaka City Council (LCC) to move in and rid the township to stop the trade of illicit beer in the area.
And another resident Michael Mwewa said it was unfortunate that the illicit beer had resurfaced after Government and the local authority had banned it.
Mr Mwewa called on the local authority to ensure that the manufacturers and the traders of Tujilijili were brought to book because the beer was a public nuisance.
LCC public relations manager Habeenzu Mulunda said anyone with information that would lead to the perpetrators to report to the matter to council offices.
He said trading in Kachasu, Tujilijili and some wines were not allowed in Zambia as such anyone found wanting would be prosecuted.
Mr Mulunda said LCC was doing everything possible to ensure that all those who were involved in the sale of illicit alcohol were brought to book.
He said the council needed to cooperate with other stakeholders to bring sanity in Lusaka especially in places like Chibolya, Misisi and Bauleni townships.
Mr Mulunda noted that there was need for the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to ensure that tough measures on borders were put in place as most illicit beer was being smuggled into the country.
He disclosed that most people were smuggling the sachets from Malawi and Tanzania.
“ZRA should make sure they put tough measures on the named borders to ensure that traders do not import the illicit sachets,” Mr Mulunda.