Assessment of the Safety and Health Hazards inExistingDumpsitesin Kenya

Abstract

Environmental pollution from uncontrolled solid waste disposal is of major concern and generates chemicals or pollutants that reach their surroundings, such as soil, groundwater resources, and even the ambient air, because of environmentally unacceptable disposal or failure of lining system in the dumpsites. The increasing amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) emanating from residential, commercial and industrial areas, together with changing nature of waste over time, have led to the degradation of the quality of the environment. In the interest of inter-generational equity, today’s dumpsites should not leave a negative environmental legacy for future generations to address. Furthermore, for as long as dumpsites remain part of our waste management strategy, best practice measures must be adopted to ensure that they are managed acceptably. The study focused on three dumpsites in Kenya; the Nakuru dumpsite in Nakuru county, the Nyeri dumpsite in Nyeri county and the Ngong’ dumpsite in Nairobi county. The approach was to conceptualize the problem of solid waste disposal problem in Kenya within the mainstream environmental discourse. The study used interviews and observation, focus group discussions and participatory rural appraisal