Stray pigs, dogs move to Muriet with uncontrollable rage
By Arusha Times Reporters
The herd of pigs that used to scavenge the former Njiro-based dump-site is now
wreaking havoc at the new Municipal garbage dump located at Muriet ward much to
the horror of the surrounding villagers.
A recent visit to the area has revealed at least nine such rather large and dark
animals, scavenging into the mounds of garbage, in the already filled up
Municipal garbage dump-site, whose contents of dirt has overflown and currently
spreading into nearby households.
According to local residents of the area, the self herding, scary-looking,
swines are threatening the safety of little babies in the Muriet village because
of late, some of these pigs have been seen with limbs of what seem to be remains
of dumped babies, a common thing at the dump-site which collects garbage from
all over the municipality and parts of Arumeru district.
"They already have known the taste of human flesh, therefore, our babies are no
longer safe here!" Simel Lemaron, one of the elderly resident in the Mkonoo
village, who lives near the dump-site was heard to lament. Stray dogs are also
another threat in the area.
The controversial "new" Municipal dump-site is already overflowing. Only about
19 months after is started to operate, on the 5th of March, last year, having
been, "constructed" at an overwhelming cost of Tsh.70 Million, a loan from the
World Bank to the Tanzanian Government.
The Municipal garbage dump, located about 10 kilometers from the town centre, is
a 50 square meter bunker, only about Nine feet deep and divided into four
sections but the division has so far proven irrelevant because the mound of
garbage has transcended the borders, spreading up to 500 meters away from either
sides of the Dump-site.
Both the pigs and dogs venture to as far as local households, following the
mounds of garbage, thus raising concern among the village residents, precisely
those with young children or babies. The animals are also reported to be even
getting into the houses and stealing therein foodstuffs.
But it is not just the Carnivorous animals that are scaring the Muriet
residents. Some alien individuals have been seen scavenging the garbage dump
late in the night.
Village elders in Muriet ward were recently contemplating to call a community
meeting which was to address these issue, however by the time we were going to
press, the outcome of their efforts were yet to be reported.
The "new" municipal garbage dump of Muriet has remained a bone of contention
between the local residents and the Arusha Municipal Council ever since it went
into operation in March last year.
In order to convince the local residents in the area to agree to ‘host' the
Dump-site which was being moved from Njiro, the council officials had promised
to have the dump fully fenced and install therein an incinerator to burn the
garbage, but none of these has been done.
The project was being executed through the Ministry of Local Government's Urban
Sector Reform Program (USRP) with the Arusha Municipal Council as its agent.
Municipal officials have always declined comment on the issue.
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