Introduction:

The rapid growth of urban centres of developing countries has created challengingrnproblems in waste management. This problem is exacerbated by resource constraintsrnextreme poverty lack of practical waste management policies and the inability of localrnauthorities to provide for this basic function. Waste disposal onto dumpsites located inrnclose proximity to human settlements is a challenge to the local inhabitants. In Kituirngenerated waste is dumped in Kalundu located in a residential area surrounded by severalrnbusinesses a garage and a cattle traders market. At the edge of the dumpsite there is thernKalundu River. Thus the presence of the dumpsite can be a source of health risks to peoplernin its vicinity and that of the surrounding environment. It is with this background that thernstudy was conceptualised to assess the environmental effects and health risks associatedrnwith the presence of dumpsite.

Objectives:

The study specifically aimed at i determining the healthrnrisks associated with the presence of Kalundu dumpsite on the surrounding residents iirndetermining the perceived environmental effects of Kalundu dumpsite by local residentsrnand iii assessing the participation level of local residents in managing the solid wasterndumped in Kalundu

Methodology:

78 respondents were randomly selected and divided into two layersrnthose living between 0 m and 250 m from the dumpsite near dumpsite and those livingrnbetween 250 and 500 m far from dumpsite. They were administered with structuredrnquestionnaires for data collection. Patient visitor data was also obtained from local healthrnfacilities Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS software was used to analyse therncollected data and results were presented using tables and graphs

Findings:

Results:

The study revealed thatrnpoor handling of solid waste once dumped has led to outbreaks of environmental diseasesrnsuch as Cholera Malaria chest pains among others. Those residing near the dumpsite werernthe most vulnerable.. The residents blamed deteriorating environmental conditions of theirrnsurroundings to the presence of the dumpsite in their vicinity. The results further indicatedrnthat majority of the residents had not received public education on waste managementrnpractices implying that they were unaware of the different aspects of waste managementrnonce it arrived at the dumpsite. The results of logistic regression analysis indicated thatrnlocation age household size and income did not significantly influence participation inrnSWM activities but was significantly influenced by education level.

Conclusion:

From the study it can be concluded that residing in close proximity to the dumpsiternresulted in various illnesses with those closer to the dumpsite most affected. The cause ofrnill- health can be associated with waste dumped at the dumping site and frequency of illhealth increases as the distance from dumpsite shortened and vice versa.rnFrom the study it can be deduced that presence of a dumpsite in the local communityrncauses pollution to the surrounding environment and makes it dirty smelly and filthy.rnSome of the polluting activities from the dumpsite include smoke leachate verminrnrodents stray dogs etc.rnThe study noted that Kalundu residents and other stakeholders have little awareness on thernconnection between waste management and environmental issues. Similarly there isrninadequate information concerning dumpsite pollution and effective solid wasternmanagement.rnLastly the study concludes that there is no corrective measures put in to place by thernCounty Government of Kitui to counteract the negative effects of the dumpsite to thernsurrounding people and the environment.

Author(s):

Focus County(s):

Kitui County

Programme Area(s):

Non-Communicable Diseases

Research Priority Area(s):

Disease Domain(s):

Diarrhoea

Publication Date: 01.Jan.2022

Conference Title:

Venue: