Clean cities require collective action

DAR ES SALAAM: THE renewed push by regional authorities to enforce waste management laws across the country is both timely and necessary.

For too long, indiscriminate dumping, irregular garbage collection and poor sanitation have been treated as inevitable features of rapidly growing towns and cities.

They are not. They are largely the result of weak enforcement, inadequate services and, importantly, irresponsible behaviour.

President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s call to make cleanliness a national priority should, therefore, be viewed not as another short-lived campaign, but as a call for a lasting change in how Tanzanians manage their communities.

The measures now being introduced in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mwanza and Arusha are encouraging because they recognise that cleanliness requires action on several fronts.

Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila’s proposal to engage unemployed National Service (JKT) graduates in enforcing sanitation by-laws is particularly significant.

Such a programme could provide young people with meaningful opportunities while strengthening enforcement at ward level.

But enforcement must be fair, professional and consistent. Citizens need to know the rules, the penalties and the proper channels for disposing of waste.

Equally important is the accountability of waste collection contractors. Authorities cannot demand responsible behaviour from residents while garbage collection remains irregular or contractors operate beyond their capacity.

Every household and business should have access to a dependable waste collection system, with contractors held firmly accountable for the services they have been contracted to provide.

Dodoma’s decision to end the culture of Saturday-only cleaning also sends the right message. Cleanliness should not be an event performed once a week for inspection purposes.

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It must become a daily habit in homes, markets, workplaces, streets and public spaces. Mwanza’s call for joint action is equally important.

No regional commissioner, municipal authority or contractor can keep a city clean without the active participation of its residents.

The same applies to Arusha, where keeping major roads and public spaces clean is essential not only for public health but also for the image of a city that welcomes visitors and investors.

The country must, however, avoid turning sanitation enforcement into a series of temporary campaigns.

Fourteen-day drives and periodic inspections can create momentum, but sustainable results require permanent systems.

The message should, therefore, be simple: Cleanliness is everyone’s responsibility, but accountability must also be everyone’s expectation.

Government must provide reliable waste services, contractors must deliver, authorities must enforce the law and citizens must stop treating public spaces as dumping grounds.

A clean Tanzania will not emerge from slogans alone. It will come from disciplined daily action and that responsibility begins with each of us.