HAI DISTRICT IN WASTE MANAGEMENT DEAL WITH SWEDEN

wwww. arushatimes.co.tz		issn 0856 - 9135
	Issue No. 0773:	July 27 - August 2, 2013
Local News
By Arusha Times Correspondent The Hai District Council in Kilimanjaro region has partnered with Arvidsjaur Town Council in Sweden in a waste management project to be implemented through recycling, it was announced at last weekend. The agreement was signed by the two local authorities in Sweden recently during a visit to the Nordic country by a high-powered Hai delegation led by the district commissioner Mr. Novatus Makunga. Under the project, the two entities would launch a recycling project which not only aims at making new products from the recycling technology but also manage the solid waste. The Hai district would now be required to send to Sweden proposals of various projects it intends to implement under the waste management programme so that they can be considered for funding and technical back-up. Hai District delegation led by the district commissioner Mr. Novatus Makunga (right) recently visited Arvidsjaur town in Sweden where they worked out a cooperation agreement. Others in the delegation were the chairman of the district council Clement Kwayu, the district executive director Meleckzedeck Humbe and the planning officer Ms Esther Mbatia. The district's delegation during the five-day tour also included the chairman of the district council Clement Kwayu, the district executive director Meleckzedeck Humbe and the planning officer Ms Esther Mbatia. Other areas of cooperation reached by the two sides would include projects on education, environmental conservation and employment for the youth, Mr. Makunga said in a statement to the media houses. The Hai authorities would also cooperate with Arvidsjaur town in Sweden in tourism projects and on matters pertaining to good governance. "Currently, we are laying down plans to sensitize members of the public on economic empowerment directed mainly to the youth", the DC said. He added that the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and the Arvidsjaur municipality would jointly support the Hai local authority in capacity building in collecting vital data on development indicators from the grassroots. Another area of cooperation will be to enable the Hai district to improve its revenue collection and communication, including the Boma FM radio station which is owned by the district council. Other projects earmarked for Swedish support are to include strengthening the community development training centre in the district, health services and sewage waste management. Mr. Makunga said solid waste was one of the main challenges facing the district, adding that the problem has been compounded by the increasing population in Hai, especially to the district headquarters Bomang'ombe which is on the Moshi-Arusha highway. "For us solid waste is trash but for our Swedish friends it is a raw material for making other products through recycling", he said, noting that Tanzanians should now learn on how to sort solid waste so that they can be turned into valuable goods instead of throwing them to the dump sites. The DC said Hai district has a big potential for tourism, being where the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) is located and also a short distance from the Mt. Kilimanjaro which attracts thousands of tourists from abroad each year, mainly mountain climbers. The DC said Tanzania should learn from Sweden where municipalities were the main drivers of development. The country has a total of 260 municipalities which are overseeing all development projects, including the social services such as schools, health and water supply as well as economic empowerment programmes. The municipalities attract a total of about 500,000 tourists daily, many of them from other European countries.
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