LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Used nappies, plastic materials and other household waste scattered around Masintha Ground raise a question Lilongwe can no longer ignore: who is responsible for keeping our city clean?
The Maravi Post took a closer look at the situation on Saturday around Masintha Ground, where waste pollution is increasingly difficult to ignore.
Photographs taken during the visit show discarded nappies, plastic materials and other household waste scattered in areas used by residents, with some rubbish dumped close to drainage channels and streams.
Buying nappies is not the end of the responsibility
Many Malawians buy nappies, popularly known as pampers, to keep their children clean and comfortable. But responsibility does not end when the nappy has been used.
A used nappy should be properly wrapped and placed in an appropriate waste container or handled through a proper waste-collection system.
Throwing it into a stream, drainage channel or open ground simply transfers the problem to the wider community.
Residents have embraced modern consumer products, but responsible disposal has not always kept pace. The journey of a product does not end when the customer leaves the shop.
Streams are not rubbish bins
One of the most worrying practices is dumping waste in streams and drainage channels.
Streams form part of the city’s drainage system. Rubbish thrown into them can be carried downstream.
Plastic bags, nappies and other waste can also block the flow of water.
This becomes particularly dangerous during the rainy season, when heavy rains can quickly fill streams and drainage channels.
Blocked waterways can contribute to flooding, affecting homes, roads, businesses and public infrastructure.
A health and safety concern
Masintha Ground is a public space used for sports, recreation and other activities. Children and families use the area.
The presence of used nappies and other discarded materials therefore raises health and safety concerns.
Children may touch contaminated waste while playing, while open rubbish can attract flies, rodents and other pests.
The issue is consequently not only about how the area looks. It is also about protecting people who live around and use these public spaces.
Who is responsible?
It is easy to blame the Lilongwe City Council whenever an area becomes dirty, but residents also have a responsibility.
A person who deliberately throws a used nappy or plastic bag into a stream or public ground has contributed directly to the problem.
However, authorities must also examine the waste-management system. Residents need reliable collection services, accessible disposal points and clear information about how household waste should be handled.
Where such services are inadequate or irregular, some residents may struggle to dispose of their rubbish properly.
That does not justify illegal dumping, but it shows why the solution must address both individual behaviour and waste-management services.
Landlords and communities have a role
Landlords and property owners also have a responsibility, particularly where many families share the same premises.
There should be proper arrangements for storing household waste and ensuring that it is collected.
Community leaders, area development committees, churches and neighbourhood groups can help identify dumping hotspots, educate residents and organise clean-up activities.
The behaviour that creates the waste must change.
Enforcement must accompany education
Public education is important, but it must be supported by enforcement.
Authorities should ensure that existing environmental and public-health regulations are applied against persistent illegal dumping.
Residents should also be encouraged to report people who deliberately dump rubbish in waterways and public spaces.
Enforcement must also be accompanied by practical waste-disposal options.
The hidden economic cost
Waste pollution also carries an economic cost.
Blocked drainage channels require clearing. Flooding can damage homes, roads, businesses and other infrastructure. Communities may also spend their own time and money cleaning areas that should have remained clean.
A problem for future generations
Environmental damage does not always show its full effects immediately.
A plastic bag thrown into a stream today may seem insignificant. A single used nappy dumped on open ground may appear harmless.
But when hundreds or thousands of people make the same choice repeatedly, the combined impact becomes serious.
Today’s waste can become tomorrow’s pollution.
Today’s blocked drainage channel can become tomorrow’s flooding.
And today’s careless habits can become an environmental burden for children who had no part in creating the problem.
Future generations deserve clean waterways, safe public grounds and healthy communities.
What needs to change?
The solution requires everyone to play a part.
Residents must stop dumping waste in streams, drainage channels and public spaces.
The Lilongwe City Council and other responsible authorities must improve waste collection and provide accessible disposal points.
Landlords should ensure tenants have proper waste-storage arrangements, while community leaders should strengthen environmental education.
Businesses can support initiatives promoting responsible waste management, while authorities must enforce existing laws against illegal dumping.
Most importantly, keeping Lilongwe clean must become a daily responsibility rather than something communities think about only during occasional clean-up campaigns.
The photographs captured by The Maravi Post around Masintha Ground should not simply be viewed as pictures of rubbish.
They should be seen as a warning.
Lilongwe belongs to all of us. Its streams, public grounds and neighbourhoods are shared resources.
Government must do its part. The city council must do its part. Businesses must do theirs.
But residents must also take responsibility.
A clean home should lead to a clean neighbourhood, and a clean neighbourhood should lead to a clean city.
If Lilongwe is to become a modern and healthy city, modern consumption must be matched by modern responsibility.
The choice is ours: continue treating streams and public spaces as dumping grounds, or change our habits before the environmental cost becomes too high for the next generation.
