In Congo, all you have to do is turn your back on downtown Brazzaville, the Congolese capital formerly called “Brazza la verte”, to come across the waste that overflows from the bins along the narrow avenues and alleys. They are also found in front of sensitive places, such as markets. The people are screaming with anger as the collection company has no longer been in contact with the government since April 12th.
Place of “Petit-Marché Nkeoua-Joseph” on Avenue Matsoua in Bacongo in the south of Brazzaville, the piles of garbage are impressive and are several meters long and even block the pipe. The birds, in this case, herons that have sometimes left distant neighborhoods, are feasting all the time, to the great dismay of the inhabitants of the surrounding plots.
“The dirt has been there for almost a month. I find this absurd because we cannot live in the dirt, indignant Jean-Jacques Sita, 67, who presents himself as an economic operator. It’s unbearable with such smells. Soon it will be diseased.”
North of the city, the famous Avenue “Tsiémé” has become a dump in several places, in addition to its gaping potholes.
“It’s not even nice to see, these piles of garbage that even prevent traffic. Seeing such things is sickening,” said a user. “The city has become too dirty. We ask leaders to be concerned about our health,” said another, on condition of anonymity.
Municipal authorities have reported that the Averda Company’s car fleet has depreciated and its bins have become obsolete, resulting in garbage collection failures for several months.
Open-air household waste represents a permanent danger for its populations, exposing them to various lung diseases, but also to malaria, and even cancer, according to environmentalist Arsène Rigobert Guélélé Kintono, executive president of Action for the Environment and international solidarity.