September 20, 2011 was the day that the activity of collecting and treating of household waste by the Hygiene and Sanitation Company of Cameroon (HYSACAM) in the Buea Municipality clocked one year.
One year for a contract that is to last for five years is enough time for HYSACAM to evaluate its activities- see where things went well; where things did not go so well; and come up with suggestions and recommendations on how to improve on its performance in future. If Buea Municipality has known some level of cleanliness at the frontage, much is still left to be done at the backyard that is at the premises where household waste is being generated.
People still litter the streets and public places with filth ignoring the efforts of the street sweepers. HYSACAM’s trashcans are not protected from domestic animals as these animals are often seen scattering the waste in the trashcans in search for food. Residents are yet to know the precise days and time when HYSACAM’s trucks have to pass in their quarters to collect household waste. Household waste is left for more than forty-eight hours at collection points in junctions created by residents and also in front of houses at the mercy of domestic animals- dogs, goats, chicken etc, which sometime overturn the containers spilling their content on the roadside thereby presenting a nauseating sight for the eyes, as well as punching very offensive odour down the lungs of passers- by.
Water ways and gutters are not spared by this backyard activity of dumping of household waste. Gutters can still be seen blocked or having traces of household waste along the water channel.
The most common talk over most radio and television stations today is about hygiene and sanitation, the protection of the environment and the protection of the ozone layer and the fight against ozone depletion, malaria and other diseases related to poor environmental hygiene. This is because many of our towns and municipalities are quite dirty and need much attention as far as hygiene and sanitation is concerned.
HYSACAM’s activities can be grouped into three: sensitization in a bid to create awareness and provoke a change in the mentality of the population; collection and removal of household waste, which calls for the creation of waste collection points and routine emptying of waste containers in homes and quarters, sweeping of streets and markets; and the transportation and processing of waste at discharge sites.
Its mission is limited to the collection, transportation and treatment of household waste from homes, streets and markets only. Cleaning of industrial waste, scrap iron etc is not its duty. The same applies to gutters, drain and streams, thus the reason why residents are advised to have garbage cans in their homes and not to dump their household waste on the roadsides or gutters. Poor waste management is one the several causes of environmental degradation. Beside the problem of rapid urbanization and the absence of permanent waste disposal site, the major problem is the population and their mentality.
Why is the population and their mentality such a big headache to HYSACAM- talking about the case of Buea in particular? It should be noted that in one of his write ups greeting the arrival of HYSACAM into the municipality, this contributor stressed on the need for total community participation to guarantee and sustain cleanliness in the municipality.
Not involving the communities directly has been HYSACAM’s Achilles’ heel for the past one year and will continue to be the same if both HYSACAM and the Buea Council Authorities do not change their manner of approach towards the different communities which are supposed to be the main beneficiaries of HYSACAM’s activities. HYSACAM and the Buea Council Authorities are still working for the people and not with the people as far as waste management in the municipality is concerned, no matter whose ox is gored. Much is still to be done in the area of community mobilization by both HYSACAM and Buea Council for things to improve.
Community mobilization is getting people involved and committed to achieve a goal. It is a process of assisting people to become more aware of their community, take in-depth look at that community, identify the felt as well as the real needs, have a belief or faith that something can be done to relieve these needs and that most of the resources to achieve these are within the competence of the community, possess a desire and willingness to use such resources to ensure the continued existence and improvement of their community.
It is not an easy process. It is time-consuming, requires tenacity, persistence, patience, forbearance, a positive outlook, a love of people and a tolerance and an understanding of those who may appear difficult to win over.
Some of the steps in community mobilization to fight against filth in Buea Council Area which can serve as a move to boost cleanliness in the entire municipality:
The identification of the community problem must be by the members of the community, health worker or workers in any health-related service.
The use of different fact-finding approaches to confirm that many members of the community consider the problem as a community problem. Some of these approaches include informal and formal discussions, individual and group interviews and community health surveys.
Working through important members of the community to sensitize its members to the reality of the problem, motivate them to wish to find the means to solve the problem, and mobilize them to use such means to meet the challenges of the problem.
A meeting with the head of the community is mandatory. The problem should be placed before him/her and the leader should be given the responsibility to decide that there is need to find a solution to the problem. When there is a consensus, the process of mobilization has a good start. Consequently this will make it possible for the community to be mobilized for action to solve the problem. For example HYSACAM’s trucks need not blast their horns for residents to start running helter-skelter to grab their garbage cans rushing to get hold of HYSACAM trucks before drivers lose their patience and drive off.
In order to boost cleanliness and guarantee good health to beneficiaries, HYSACAM has to work within this framework and guiding principles:
That with HYSACAM, environmental protection should mean more than complying with laws. It should mean being proactive in protecting human health, natural resources and the environment. HYSACAM must be a leader in developing and implementing responsible and innovative environmental solutions.
It must be committed to environmental stewardship and to protecting the health and well being of its employees and communities.
This commitment should be a cornerstone of what it does and is reflected in the services it provides to customers, the design and operation of its facilities, the conditions under which its employees work; and their relationships with the communities where they live and do business.
HYSACAM must look for ways to apply its knowledge and experience to improve its world. It has to invest time and resources in innovation that produce measurable results. It must seek solutions that provide both immediate and enduring environmental benefits. It must develop knowledge it can share with others. It must partner with regulators, communities, citizens and other companies to seek solutions together. It must understand that on its own it can make a start, but only together with the communities can it make a difference.
It has to believe that to be a successful business; it must recognize the interests of stakeholder groups, most important of which are the people and communities it serves. To this end, it must endeavour to build strong partnerships and to develop sound responsible public policy and programme to assist Buea Council to reach its waste management goal in an environmentally responsible manner.
In as much as its operation in municipalities is providing vital services to houses, schools, business and government facilities, it must have a strong involvement with communities it serves. For one thing its employees live, work and raise their families in these communities. But beyond that, its business must improve the health and safety of communities and individuals in a very tangible way.
It must embrace the opportunity to be a good corporate citizen through a vigorous and growing community relations programme. It must be involved in local community organizations, participate in numerous community activities and initiatives and its employees must volunteer in many ways throughout their communities. After all, supporting communities- making them cleaner, safer and healthier- must be what the company should be all about.
Instituting a Community Environment Awareness Award which recognizes communities for achievements in developing initiatives towards environmentally responsible practices and sustainability. Criteria for such an award must include environmental efforts made by the municipality, businesses and private citizens of the community including waste reduction, recycling initiatives, conservation and naturalization.
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