Everyday that goes by, our Ecological footprint increases in strides. We have put an amount of focus on the damage caused by shipping industries, chemical industries etc. But we haven’t put enough focus on damage caused by unregulated dumping especially in developing countries.
Unregulated dumping are natural breeding places for mosquitoes, rats, flies and other beasts that are a source of multiple diseases including malaria, cholera, typhoid.
Also, rotting garbage emits greenhouse gasses that cause damage to the stratosphere as well as to our health. Many diseases of the lungs can be caused by poisonous gas emissions. Damage on stratosphere causes skin cancer.
Individuals can not control unregulated dumping. They depend on municipality and the governments to do their work.
Most individuals don’t understand the bigger picture and the long term health effects. Is it right that we should just let things slide? Shouldn't the municipality be held responsible for all the damage they allow to happen?
Sometimes it is easier, because our hands are tied in so many ways.........
Reported by www.ippmedia.com Saturday 17th October 2009
A woman washes her kitchen utensils near garbage surrounding her house at a Kigogo dumpsite in Dar es Salaam yesterday. The dump was reportedly closed by the Ilala Municipal Council but Omar Musa, a resident of the area, says garbage collection trucks still unload waste at the site.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
`Leadership failing Nyerere`s legacy`
By The guardian team
14th October 2009
Many dissatisfied by level of public accountability
Founding Father, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
As the nation marks the tenth anniversary of the death of the Founding Father, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere today, Tanzanians have expressed mixed feelings about the level of accountability among public officials.
Both academicians and politicians described Nyerere as an exemplary leader with qualities that most leaders holding public offices lack.
Prof Issa Shivji, who lectured at the University of Dar es Salaam and is now heading the Mwalimu Nyerere Professorial Chair in Pan-African Studies, said Mwalimu was a strong personality who believed in leadership principles, a quality not found in most leaders of our time.
The don was speaking at a special forum organised at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam ahead of the Nyerere Day today, to revisit Mwalimu's legacy.
He said until his last days, Mwalimu was a great believer of socialist policies and openly opposed the capitalist mode as it did not provide for the poor, who constitute the majority in the country.
Shivji said one of the most pressing challenges that the present leaders are facing, especially in developing countries, is exercising leadership in systems which enrich a few at the expense of the majority poor.
According to him, the capitalist system has promoted corruption and brought problems to the ordinary people and no solutions to the poor majority, mostly residing in rural areas.
“Mwalimu Nyerere fought against the capitalist system, because he knew that it promotes classes of the haves and the have-nots; classes of those who are suffering and those who are enjoying the national cake,” said Shivji.
“People now have no humanity at all, they think of how to generate and accumulate wealth - a tendency that Mwalimu didn’t allow or entertain during his leadership,” he added.
He, however, said the world was now tired of capitalism, a system which he blamed for fuelling corruption all over the world, and that some big nations were now thinking of adopting some socialist values.
Speaking at the same occasion, State Minister in the President’s Office (Public Service Management) Hawa Ghasia said Mwalimu was an example of good leaders who adhered to leadership ethics.
She said all leaders were trying to compare themselves with Mwalimu, a clear sign that for many he was an exemplary leader.
NCCR-Mageuzi national chairman, James Mbatia, said in his open letter to the public yesterday that his party would remember Mwalimu for being a champion of educating the public practically on matters of human dignity.
“This is shown in his life. Mwalimu Nyerere as a father of a family; in his profession as a teacher, in his socialist politics and in his leadership as the chairman of a political party, and particularly in his position as the first President of Tanzania,” Mbatia said.
He added: “For him, human dignity was a fundamental right given by God; it was the responsibility of the government to protect this right and it was a must for the society to develop it.”
Mbatia said “Nyerere taught us that God is one; Tanzania is one, and Tanzanians are one. He also reminded us that our National Anthem starts with the word God.”
The NCCR-Magaeuzi chairman said Nyerere insisted on national unity particularly by using one language, Kiswahili and the word Brethren (Ndugu).
“He believed and showed practically that the presence of classes in the community was against humanity,” he said.
Nyerere Day is marked annually on October 14 – the day Mwalimu died at a London hospital. He was born on April 13, 1922 at Butiama village in Mara Region and served as the first President of Tanzania, previously Tanganyika, from the country's independence in 1961 until his retirement in 1985.
Nyerere, son to Zanaki chief Nyerere Burito (1860-1942), is known by the Swahili name Mwalimu or 'teacher', which was his profession prior to politics.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
REF: http://www.ippmedia.com/
14th October 2009
14th October 2009
Many dissatisfied by level of public accountability
Founding Father, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
As the nation marks the tenth anniversary of the death of the Founding Father, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere today, Tanzanians have expressed mixed feelings about the level of accountability among public officials.
Both academicians and politicians described Nyerere as an exemplary leader with qualities that most leaders holding public offices lack.
Prof Issa Shivji, who lectured at the University of Dar es Salaam and is now heading the Mwalimu Nyerere Professorial Chair in Pan-African Studies, said Mwalimu was a strong personality who believed in leadership principles, a quality not found in most leaders of our time.
The don was speaking at a special forum organised at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam ahead of the Nyerere Day today, to revisit Mwalimu's legacy.
He said until his last days, Mwalimu was a great believer of socialist policies and openly opposed the capitalist mode as it did not provide for the poor, who constitute the majority in the country.
Shivji said one of the most pressing challenges that the present leaders are facing, especially in developing countries, is exercising leadership in systems which enrich a few at the expense of the majority poor.
According to him, the capitalist system has promoted corruption and brought problems to the ordinary people and no solutions to the poor majority, mostly residing in rural areas.
“Mwalimu Nyerere fought against the capitalist system, because he knew that it promotes classes of the haves and the have-nots; classes of those who are suffering and those who are enjoying the national cake,” said Shivji.
“People now have no humanity at all, they think of how to generate and accumulate wealth - a tendency that Mwalimu didn’t allow or entertain during his leadership,” he added.
He, however, said the world was now tired of capitalism, a system which he blamed for fuelling corruption all over the world, and that some big nations were now thinking of adopting some socialist values.
Speaking at the same occasion, State Minister in the President’s Office (Public Service Management) Hawa Ghasia said Mwalimu was an example of good leaders who adhered to leadership ethics.
She said all leaders were trying to compare themselves with Mwalimu, a clear sign that for many he was an exemplary leader.
NCCR-Mageuzi national chairman, James Mbatia, said in his open letter to the public yesterday that his party would remember Mwalimu for being a champion of educating the public practically on matters of human dignity.
“This is shown in his life. Mwalimu Nyerere as a father of a family; in his profession as a teacher, in his socialist politics and in his leadership as the chairman of a political party, and particularly in his position as the first President of Tanzania,” Mbatia said.
He added: “For him, human dignity was a fundamental right given by God; it was the responsibility of the government to protect this right and it was a must for the society to develop it.”
Mbatia said “Nyerere taught us that God is one; Tanzania is one, and Tanzanians are one. He also reminded us that our National Anthem starts with the word God.”
The NCCR-Magaeuzi chairman said Nyerere insisted on national unity particularly by using one language, Kiswahili and the word Brethren (Ndugu).
“He believed and showed practically that the presence of classes in the community was against humanity,” he said.
Nyerere Day is marked annually on October 14 – the day Mwalimu died at a London hospital. He was born on April 13, 1922 at Butiama village in Mara Region and served as the first President of Tanzania, previously Tanganyika, from the country's independence in 1961 until his retirement in 1985.
Nyerere, son to Zanaki chief Nyerere Burito (1860-1942), is known by the Swahili name Mwalimu or 'teacher', which was his profession prior to politics.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
REF: http://www.ippmedia.com/
14th October 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Customers unhappy with LUKU
By Gadiosa Lamtey
28th September 2009
Many incur `unrecoverable loss` as network collapses again
Pre-paid meters (Luku).
The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) pre-paid meters (Luku) network collapsed over the weekend, the third time this year alone.
The failure partly frustrated business and domestic life, a survey by ‘The Guardian’ has established.
Most vending stations were down for the most hours of Saturday and yesterday. Tanesco authorities have blamed the failure to hitches on the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd (TTCL)’s network.
According to Tanesco, the TTCL is responsible for managing operations of the systems of its Luku vending stations.
Interviewed, some customers who endured the brunt of living in darkness for about 24 hours talked of unrecoverable losses they incurred as a result of the Luku system failure.
A Luku customer from Mwananyamala, Nuru Mhina, said on Saturday she slept in darkness and was forced to throw away some foodstuffs which were stored in the fridge.
“The food rot in my fridge because Tanesco failed to supply us power through its vending stations,” she complained.
She said the problem of network failure was now becoming common with increased occurrence.
Nuru was also very much concerned over failure of the power utility company to notify the customers on the failure.
Complaining about delays, she said: “You may go to a vending centre at 10 am and get caught in a long queue until say 12. Sometimes, we are being forced to postpone other activities just to buy power,” she said.
Another customer at Oilcom Science area Hamisi Songoro who spoke to ‘The Guardian’ while standing in queue waiting for his turn to get the service proposed that it would be better for Tanesco to return to the previous system of post-paying because the Luku system was becoming ‘cumbersome.’
“It’s very bad that the system is becoming inefficient…Tanesco should tell us what all this means and for how long this problem will continue,” a frustrated Songoro said.
Songoro said while it was true that some customers purchased power through mobile phone special services, the system covered only those with digital meters.
“They should bear in mind that a large section of customers are living in houses installed with old Luku meters which operates by using punching cards,” he said.
Tanesco Public Relations Manager Badra Masoud admitted there was problem of network on Saturday which was caused by the TTCL communication network failure.
Badra said such failures were ‘normal’ and wherever they happen customers shouldn’t worry or panic.
She said Tanesco vending stations were open 24 hours to ensure people get the service without problems or delays.
‘The Guardian’ survey established that the system went off around 2pm on Saturday until at around noon yesterday whereby customers around the City were forced to return back home without power thus incurring losses in their business.
Among the Luku centres visited include Mwananyamala Kwa Manjunju, Oilcom at Science area, BP Kijiweni at Sinza, Mwanamboka at Sinza and Komakoma at Mwananyamala.
The system failed at least twice this year alone apart from the weekend’s incident. The previous failures were attributed to attack by an unknown virus and apparent failure of the computer system.
Last September, the Luku network collapsed abruptly due to a technical fault in its main computer system controlling the pre-paid services.
Luku vending machines first came into use in Tanzania in 1995, with most of them installed in Dar es Salaam. Besides Dar es Salaam, Luku metres are in use in Arusha, Dodoma, Mara, Mwanza and Shinyanga regions and several other major urban centres.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
28th September 2009
Many incur `unrecoverable loss` as network collapses again
Pre-paid meters (Luku).
The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) pre-paid meters (Luku) network collapsed over the weekend, the third time this year alone.
The failure partly frustrated business and domestic life, a survey by ‘The Guardian’ has established.
Most vending stations were down for the most hours of Saturday and yesterday. Tanesco authorities have blamed the failure to hitches on the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd (TTCL)’s network.
According to Tanesco, the TTCL is responsible for managing operations of the systems of its Luku vending stations.
Interviewed, some customers who endured the brunt of living in darkness for about 24 hours talked of unrecoverable losses they incurred as a result of the Luku system failure.
A Luku customer from Mwananyamala, Nuru Mhina, said on Saturday she slept in darkness and was forced to throw away some foodstuffs which were stored in the fridge.
“The food rot in my fridge because Tanesco failed to supply us power through its vending stations,” she complained.
She said the problem of network failure was now becoming common with increased occurrence.
Nuru was also very much concerned over failure of the power utility company to notify the customers on the failure.
Complaining about delays, she said: “You may go to a vending centre at 10 am and get caught in a long queue until say 12. Sometimes, we are being forced to postpone other activities just to buy power,” she said.
Another customer at Oilcom Science area Hamisi Songoro who spoke to ‘The Guardian’ while standing in queue waiting for his turn to get the service proposed that it would be better for Tanesco to return to the previous system of post-paying because the Luku system was becoming ‘cumbersome.’
“It’s very bad that the system is becoming inefficient…Tanesco should tell us what all this means and for how long this problem will continue,” a frustrated Songoro said.
Songoro said while it was true that some customers purchased power through mobile phone special services, the system covered only those with digital meters.
“They should bear in mind that a large section of customers are living in houses installed with old Luku meters which operates by using punching cards,” he said.
Tanesco Public Relations Manager Badra Masoud admitted there was problem of network on Saturday which was caused by the TTCL communication network failure.
Badra said such failures were ‘normal’ and wherever they happen customers shouldn’t worry or panic.
She said Tanesco vending stations were open 24 hours to ensure people get the service without problems or delays.
‘The Guardian’ survey established that the system went off around 2pm on Saturday until at around noon yesterday whereby customers around the City were forced to return back home without power thus incurring losses in their business.
Among the Luku centres visited include Mwananyamala Kwa Manjunju, Oilcom at Science area, BP Kijiweni at Sinza, Mwanamboka at Sinza and Komakoma at Mwananyamala.
The system failed at least twice this year alone apart from the weekend’s incident. The previous failures were attributed to attack by an unknown virus and apparent failure of the computer system.
Last September, the Luku network collapsed abruptly due to a technical fault in its main computer system controlling the pre-paid services.
Luku vending machines first came into use in Tanzania in 1995, with most of them installed in Dar es Salaam. Besides Dar es Salaam, Luku metres are in use in Arusha, Dodoma, Mara, Mwanza and Shinyanga regions and several other major urban centres.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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