Technical meeting in Zanzibar to finalise draft municipal byelaws on solid waste management

August 24, 2018

A one day technical meeting was jointly organised by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA) on 24th August, 2018 in Department of Land Commission, Stonetown, Zanzibar to finalise the draft municipal byelaws on solid waste management.

The meeting was inaugurated by Sheha Mjaja, Director General, Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA). “The objective of the meeting was to discuss the zero draft municipal byelaws for solid waste management and finalise the same”, added Mjaja. “We need byelaws so that we solidfy the work on SWM and ensure that there is better management of it”, he further added. He also apprised the stakeholders on CSE’s association with ZEMA.

The meeting was attended by 20 officials from three Municipal Councils of Zanzibar— ZUMC, West A, West B, Department of Land Commission, ZEMA, Department of Environment (DoE) , Department of Urban and Rural Planning and media and print journalists.

Sessions:

The following sessions were taken during the meeting:

• Need of solid waste management (SWM) byelaws in municipal councils in Zanzibar: A brief overview on why Zanzibar needs byelaws on SWM was highlighted by Sheha Mjaja, ZEMA. He also further emphasized on the importance of segregation at source.
• Review and discussion of draft byelaws: The municipal councils and departments present in the meeting reviewed the byelaws and gave their inputs and comments. The section was moderated by Sheha Mjaja, ZEMA and Sonia Henam, CSE.

Other highlights:

• CSE team also visited the decentralised pilot site to monitor on the ongoing work at Shaurimoyo on waste management.
• Replication of decentralised pilot on waste management: Three pits have been constructed by ZEMA for replication at another site in Shaurimoyo, Zanzibar. In addition, replication of the decentralised pilot to 3 more areas in Zanzibar is in the pipeline.