CAUSES OF WATER SHORTAGES AND BAD WASTE DISPOSAL

PRACTICES IN MISIS COMPOUND

GRADE 12 FINAL YEAR PROJECT

SUBMITTED BY

LUYANDO NKWEMU

TO

LWENGU SCHOOL

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my geography teacher, Mr. Mangani for assisting me and
giving the necessary knowledge to make sure that this project is a success. And
the social sciences department at Lwengu School for giving me this wonderful
privilege.

DECLARATION
I, Luyando Nkwemu thereby declare that I did the research on this project via
the project supervisor and any other necessary research facilities, I say thank
you too.

SIGNATURE ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Luyando Nkwemu
DATE ……………………………………………………………

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
Acknowledgment……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Declaration………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

CHAPTER 1
1.0 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………
1.1 Location…………………………………………………………………………………………
1.2 Problem Statement…………………………………………………………………………
1.3 Aim…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
1.4 Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………….
1.5 Research Questions…………………………………………………………………………
1.6 Significance of Study……………………………………………………………………….
1.7 Delimitation and Limitation of Study………………………………………………

CHAPTER 2
2.0 Literature Review

CHAPTER 3
3.0 Methodology

CHAPTER 4
4.0 Data Presentation and Interpretation

CHAPTER 5
5.0 Data Analysis

CHAPTER 6
6.0 Conclusion
6.1 Recommendations
6.2 References
6.3 Appendices

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 Chapter 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Waste management has always been a vital factor that many people who live
in the country face in their day to day lives. Everyone has an entitlement to live
in a healthy and clean environment, but it is up to us to see that the area we
are living in is kempt. Many people do not understand that a healthy and clean
environment starts with yourself. Many diseases form as a lack of not keeping
your environment clean thereby spreading water borne diseases such as
typhoid and dysentery and air borne disease such as the recent corona virus.
Many people in Misisi compound confine in the local council and other
governmental bodies to put in place proper measures in the area so as to
improve their sanity levels. It is up to them to take proper care of what the
government are able to do for them but if they do not, then there will be a
high rise of various diseases in the area. Waste deposits are as a result of
people throwing rubbish in drainages and when it is rainy season, bacteria
habours in the stagnant water in portholes etc, causing mosquitos to breed.
Due to the lack of a proper water and waste management system, water and
waste that is swept away with the rains usually ends up in the back yard of
other peoples’ homes due to the houses being so confined together.
Throughout this project I will take you through measures put in place by the
government to help curb water and waste management in Misisi compound
and what the people have done to improve and deteriorate their own sanity
levels.
The way people in the area manage and dispose their waste is very concerning.
Water passing through the area sometimes does not even reach to every home
and people are being forced to go to nearby areas to fetch water and pay for
water collected which should not be case. Houses in the area are too enclosed
together which increases the risk of theft and other harmful activities that put
the lives of the people in danger. As the area receives floods due to the rain
water having nowhere to go, people are forced to leave their homes and find
other places to stay because of water entering their houses.

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1.1 Location

Misisi Compound is located in Lusaka city and it is a shanty compound which

estimated to have about 80,000 people. It is considered to be the ‘Cholera
Capital’ of Zambia.

1.2 Problem Statement

Over the recent years and beyond, Misisi has had a key problem in water and
waste management, with a minimal amount of theft too. Waste disposal
facilities are minimal in the area and people find it hard to dispose waste
thereby just throwing things such as empty bottles in the drainages and road
sides. Water passages are very few and people in the area find it hard to have
access to water for their day-to-day activities.
Misisi has a small ‘dam’ which has toxic waste materials and the water is very
dirty. Children swim in it and mothers fetch water from it which is unhygienic
and can cause diseases. Due to the houses being so confined together, the
theft in the area is on the rise. It is easy for one to steal from house to house
and not get caught in the end. Floods risk many lives of the people and people
are forced to vacate from their homes because of the floods that are so bad
that water enters even in their rooms which is every inconveniencing.
There is need therefore to find solutions that will benefit each and every one
living in the area to provide a safe and healthy environment for the them to
live in.

1.3 Aim
To find the causes of water and waste disposal and find possible solutions to it.

1.4 Objectives

1.4.1 To determine the causes as to why water and waste are not being
managed well in the area.
1.4.2 To establish the possible solutions to the issue above.
1.4.3 Research on solutions that the government has put in place to abolish
the problem of water and waste management in the area.

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1.5 Research Questions
According to the objectives stated above, my project would like to find
answers and solutions to the following questions.
1. Where are local citizens in the area disposing of their waste and how
is it affecting other people?
2. Why are they facing water difficulties be it in the community and as
per home too?
3. Why the people in the area are disposing off their waste materials in
those various ways?

1.6 Significance of Study

The country has been facing issues of water and waste management and I have
taken the liberty in this project to specifically write on Misisi Compound. As
earlier stated, I will be finding why things are the way the are in this area and
find measures put in by the government to help and further possible solutions
to the matter at hand. People in the area are vulnerable because of the state at
which the compound is in, and as a result they are pushed to things they are
not supposed to do such as throwing empty bottles and plastics in road
drainages.

1.7 Delimitation and Limitation of Study

1.7.1 Delimitation
The drinking water project in the area was handed over to the local community
and commenced operations. It now provides safe drinking water to the
members of the community. Project Zambia is a team of eligible people who
provide funds and sponsors to the citizens in the area to improve their living
and provide a better environment for them to live in.

1.7.2 Limitation

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My studies toward this project were done during the rainy season which made
it difficult for me to complete certain targets I put in place to go and see
certain pates of the town. But with the few time that I had I had and my
knowledge of the area I managed to complete what I had set in place.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

The Project Zambia is a team that works to improve and better the livelihood
of people in Misisi Compound. It is their priority to ensure that everyone in the
community has a safe and comfortable area to live in. They have set up a
couple of facilities in place such as an orphanage and a few schools, to help the
children in the community have a chance to have a good education and those
without guardians to have a healthy environment to grow in.
Many diseases have risen in the area such as cholera. This has increased the
number of people who area able to be at risk of getting sick. Heavy measures
need to be put in place to ensure that everybody is safe from diseases such as
the current Covid-19 pandemic. Those diseases that have treatments such as
vaccines, people are encouraged to be vaccinated to reduce the spread of
these diseases.
The health of the people in the community is important because all lives
matter. Better road networks, rubbish bins and other facilities need to be put
in place to help the people live in a safe and healthy environment.

Chapter 3
3.0 Methodology
This project study used qualitative methods to obtain the research. There was
need for me to research on word meanings, certain aspects and gather the
needed information.

3.1 Data Collection

Other than the information that I gathered from my literature review; I also
took the liberty of doing my research from Project Zambia for Misisi. It
included measures that the government has put in place to improve the stand

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of living for the people in the area. And measures taken by the local council to
help reduce on the amount of garbage lying around and what they have done
to provide safe clean, drinking water for the people. The following methods
below were used to obtain my information:

Photo: Misisi Compound.

Questionnaire
Face to face interview.
Whilst I was in the area trying to survey and get a few ideas for this project, I
managed to talk to a few citizens of the community who were willing to be
asked questions for my research and they offered to give me answers. The
conversations were taken using the recorder on a small phone used for this
research.

Observations and Project Zambia Development Plans.

It was observed that during the rainy season, many of the wasted material
disposed of in the road sides was being swept away by the running water.
Most of the water supplies that provide water at this time are then
contaminated making the water unsafe for consumption. Many children in the
area did not used to go to school because of lack of facilities needed to create
a proper and safe learning environment for them. Project Zambia ensured that
schools such as St Lawrence Community School was built and a Special Needs
School was put in place for those with special needs in the community. Street
Kids in the area are well cared for because a home was built to accommodate
those without homes.

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 Chapter 4: Data Presentation and Analysis

4.1 Data Presentation

Follow up on the results from the questionnaire.

Figure1: Waste disposed of by people

who live in Misisi and people who do not
leave there.

29%

71%

People who live in Misisi People who do not live in Misisi

What are the possible causes of this problem?

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The people who live in the area dump their waste materials on the land that is
free and as a result, it heaps up over the years making it even harder to solve
the problem. Passers by in the area are fond of throwing litter anywhere on
the ground, especially by the bus stations.

Figure 2: Is the amount of waste in the area

increasing or decreasing?

4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

Series 1 Series 2 Column1

Possible causes for this problem.

To due lack of a proper waste management network, majority of the waste

usually ends up in road drainages and at other instances, people’s homes.
Because of lack of sewers, pit latrines used by people in the area are full which
in the end adds on to the bad odor in the community. Waste that is dumped
on empty land is pilled up over the years and garbage which consists of plastics
takes long to decompose.

According to the data given above, what is causing the

majority to give out such large amounts of waste?

Due to the area being a shanty compound, it means that it is not really
developed and so, there are no rubbish bins around the community in which
people can throw their litter and other materials in. In local communities
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around Lusaka city, there are Lusaka city council trucks that move around to
collect garbage on specific days, but you will find out that this is not the case in
Misisi Compound and as a result, people usually end up just disposing their dirt
on the streets and places around the compound. That is why there are
increases in diseases, low sanity levels, etc.

What are the various solutions to the problems the community is

facing?
Firstly, to help reduce on of the major problems in the area which is garbage
waste disposal, government with the help of the local councils should put up in
place just like the way they have done in the town center of Lusaka City.
Adding on, they should also engage the local city council to also have garbage
collecting trucks reach the compound.

Figure 3: Are there any possible solutions

to the problems being faced?

28% YES
NO

72%

What are the possible solutions to the problems being faced?

Rubbish bins can be used for passers by to dump the litter and other unneeded
materials in rather than throwing them around the environment. In the Lusaka

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town center, such bins are being used and the amount of litter and waste
materials in the area is minimal. Such installments can be put in place by the
Lusaka City Council. Adding on, in place of the dam, a play park can be put in
place for the community children rather than them playing in the
contaminated water. Or a small community garden for those to sell vegetables
at the market to grow their crops properly and easier.

Chapter 5: Data Interpretation

5.1 Figure 1; shows the amounts of waste disposed by people who live in the
area and people who do not live in the area. From the diagram, we can see
that the majority comes from the people who live in the area. There are
various causes to this problem, for example; some bars in the compound are
fond of throwing empty beer bottles of road sides usually early in the morning
before people wake up. It is also due to lack of waste disposal services in the
area and people just don’t know where to throw the garbage. So they throw it
in space that is found.

5.2 Figure 2; shows the whether the amounts of waste in the area is increasing
or not. Over the years, waste has increased because of various causes such as;
the people not having anywhere to dispose of their waste materials. In other
parts of Lusaka, the Lusaka City Council garbage truck moves around the town
to collect garbage from homes. This is not the case for Misisi, as a result the
people end up throwing their garbage anywhere around the compound.

5.3 Figure 3; shows if there are any possible solutions that can be put in place
to help reduce some of the problems stated as above. Putting up rubbish bins
and engaging students in the community to have litter picking activities and
programs. Also, having the Lusaka City Company have their garbage trucks to
also collect garbage from the compound, among other possible solutions.

Chapter 6: Conclusion and Recommendations

6.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, the area as seen by former president Mr. Edgar Lungu needed to
be put under proper care by the government. The Lusaka City Council also

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need to get engaged to help enhance this development. The area has poor
sewer management systems, poor toilet facilities from the houses in the area.
The small dam in the area is also a contributing factor to the number of
diseases in the area such as cholera.

6.1 Recommendations
Putting up rubbish bins in the area can also help the amount of waste that is
being disposed of in the area. And putting up signs of the bins such as ‘Throw
litter here ‘. Additionally, pupils from the community schools can also host
clubs where they go litter picking around the community once every week.
Also, the water and sewage company to set up better facilities like distributing
water and waste pipes to all the houses in the compound. And have proper
management on how the water and waste to and from house to house.
And having the dam cleared out can also help on the risk of diseases and
infections like malaria and cholera. Replacing the dam with for instance, a play
ground for the little ones to play from.
Furthermore, having the city garbage trucks come collect garbage and waste
materials from different parts of the compound. This will help on reducing the
amounts of waste accumulating in the area. Having the ‘KEEP LUSAKA CLEAN’
also render their support to this area.
Having water that is distributed through out the area to be chlorinated and
having children in the area vaccinated against diseases such as polio and
encouraging people in the community to get the Covid- 19 vaccination to
prevent rising cases in the area. Also, having the people drink safe and clean
water from a certified water source rather than mothers fetching water from
the small dam in the area.
In terms of sanity levels in the area, due to the small dam being a contributing
factor to the rising diseases in the area, it should be cleared out to help reduce
on diseases such as typhoid, etc. In place of the dam, a playground can be out
in place for the children to play from creating a more constructive environment
to grow in. Or rather that land should be used as a community gardening area
where the locals can grow various crops to sell.
Because of lack of proper waste management in Misisi Compound, the Lusaka
Water and Sewage Company should have sewer and water pipes that are able

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to equip every household in the area. Increasing the number of water taps that
supplies water to the houses of the citizens will also be of help.

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