The County Government of Kisumu has stated that it has conducted elaborate studies and put in place safety mitigations to ensure the transfer of waste from Kachok dumpsite to an abandoned quarry in Kajulu is safe.
Through their lawyers Ibrahim Ogejo and Geoffrey Yogo, the county government told a Kisumu court that a PVC membrane will be laid beneath the quarry to prevent seeping of dirty elements which may end up in water sources.
Besides the membrane otherwise branded as a geo-liner, the quarry is also going to be fitted with pipes directed to a lagoon which will hold any water that will manage to escape pit.
“The water in the lagoon will then be treated and made inert by an approved chemical that will kill germs and even any kind of smell,” the lawyers explained.
To prevent birds from flocking the Kajulu dumpsite which may put at risk airplanes flying to Kisumu International Airport, the lawyers informed the court that the Kenya Aviation Authority and the Kenya Airport Authority had allowed them to carry out the waste transportation during the dry season and not to move fresh waste to the pit.
The first respondent further explained that for every two meters of inert waste they introduced in the quarry, they covered it with one meter of quarry dust which also be compacted to ensure no foul smell comes from the site.
The county government nonetheless made it clear that they were not relocating the Kachok dumpsite to Kajulu but they were only using the inert waste from it to rehabilitate the abandoned concrete quarry.
“Kachok still remains the official place where fresh waste will be dumped as the county looks for a better place to relocate it,” stated the first respondent.
The petitioners through their advocates Moses Omondi and Mitch Menezes took issue with the pronouncements of the first respondent noting that there was no sign of the constructing a lagoon at the site, and that the PVC they were claiming to use was among the materials banned by Ministry of Environment.
The accusers explained that there was no proof that NAYA limited (third respondent) which is the company contracted to transfer the waste was licensed to carry waste and there was also no evidence that it had carried out any sort of waste transportation before.
After hearing all the submissions, Justice Stephen Kibunjia directed that he will give the judgment of the case on March 7th this year.
To be the first to get updates on breaking and trending news in Kenya, send your WhatsApp number to 0795223369.