The death toll has risen past 100 persons outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Few days prior to #WorldWaterDay and the globe’s alert over the senseless and unjust murders near Britain’s Parliament on 22 March 2017, a landfill slide trapped and killed hundreds of helpless persons not far from Ethiopia’s own Parliament. The more concerning element is that these deaths can likely be attributed to Ethiopia’s own Parliament, not an outside group as is seemingly the case in London.
Approximately half of the bodies extracted from the unsanitary slide were female, many of the total bodies children. People live upon this unstable, unhealthy, hopeless wasteland that has existed for decades. Curious is how much longer this landfill was to remain contaminating the earth and surrounding persons, and how much longer persons living there would have to wait to be relocated. The government claims that there has been an attempt to resettle these persons, but such seems to be attempted at an unsustainable rate not comparable to that at which persons were “piling up” at this landfill.
Intentions to convert waste products of this sprawling wasteland are hindered by the government’s inability, or perhaps lack of political will, to complete a factory meant to serve this process. The erection of a factory for energy conversion purposes should not take ten years, especially for a country with decent private sector relationships. Erroneous methane-fed fires over the years should have also prompted faster and more serious action toward commitment.
In response to this landfill slide, the government relocated less than 290 uninjured persons to a youth center in Addis Ababa. It’s great that these persons have been moved to what is hopefully a safer location, but with what sustainable plans and exit strategy? Also, how will activities of this youth center go on without interruption. I posit they cannot, which is hugely hindering for youth benefitting or relying on these activities to improve soft skills, have refuge from daily social service shortcoming or alternatives to negative social activities that many idle youth succumb to (i.e. alcoholism, drug use, gang violence).
As peaceful a people and nation Ethiopia is, no persons are immune to negative and detrimental habits to which youth are especially susceptible. Extremely impoverished persons – regardless of gender – are at a continual disadvantage, as well.
The development shortcomings of Ethiopia’s government, coupled with its limitations on capitalist corporations in order to monopolize its airline, internet and phone services – among others, have left millions of Ethiopians in a state of abject poverty and disempowerment. Government commitments to relocate persons, and repair and build necessary roads and other physical infrastructures are less than mildly fulfilled.
Women and children are especially disadvantaged given the reality of socially and politically entrenched patriarch – not unlike most countries in the world.
Step 1: Urgently improve and make more efficient the waste collection and dumping procedures.
Step 2: Improve sanitation conditions of existing landfills.
Step 3: Immediately complete and operationalize factory to convert waste to energy.
Step 4: Utilize newly and efficiently sourced energy for social services and disadvantaged persons at affordable rates.
Step 5: Maintain and transparently meet ongoing commitments around resettling persons living on or near the aforementioned landfill, and other comparable areas.
Until these above are met with political will and timely implementation, there is risk of such a landfill slide reoccurring or deaths attributed to other governmental shortcomings concerning makeshift residences. Regardless, there will undoubtedly be health repercussions associated with an exacerbated spread of this contaminated waste from the landfill slide. This will further press persons’ productivity, monetary abilities to fulfill health needs and pressure any governmentally or INGO subsidized health services. Again, the women and children will be at a significantly higher risk and lower likelihood of escape from this cycle of poverty.