DILI, 26 october 2021 (TATOLI) – Dili is currently producing around 220 tons of garbage daily, due to the rapid population growth, said Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho.
“Of the 220 tons of trash, only 55 percent were collected in Tibar Garbage Collection, while the other 45 percent were ended up in the drainages and washed away into the sea. This is because we don’t manage the capital Dili properly,” Carvalho told reporters at City-8 Hall in Dili, on tuesday.
Carvalho said the approved urban planning law would give ways to Dili municipal authority and relevant ministries to start controlling and managing the capital city.
“We want Dili to become a well-organized city, but unfortunately there are still a lot of problems to be addressed,” affirm Carvalho.
At the same place, the President of the Dili Municipal Authority, Guilhermina Filomena Saldanha said waste disposal is one of the current issues that is needed to be addressed.
“I will present the waste disposal issue to Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak to establish Waste Disposal Regulation to control households and commercial waste disposal in the country. In Timor-Leste, a large amount of waste is coming from commercial waste and, we need to regulate it. For instance, the stores and companies shouldn’t dispose of their waste at the prepared rubbish collection in Dili. They should dispose of their waste directly to Tibar Garbage Collection,” said Saldanha.
She said sensitizing communities on proper waste disposal was important to prevent the trash from ending up in the drainages.
In addition, the head of Madohi village, Bernardino de Cristo Pereira said many of the community members of his village are still practicing improper garbage disposal.
Pereira called on communities to properly dispose of their waste to prevent diseases and flooding.
Journalist: Filomeno Martinst
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
