Wenela residents sense trouble as weather warms » TheVoiceBW

Summer is getting closer

The days are gradually getting warmer, the warmer weather heralds the beginning of a new season and promises beautiful times.

However, for many of the suffering residents of Wenela district in Maun, the hotter days bring with them an odour problem that makes their lives a misery.

They have little doubt about the source of the stench: the nearby Botswana Defence Force camp.

“The stench from this barracks is far too strong, especially in summer. Even if we close the windows, the stench penetrates. The whole house smells unbearable,” explains David Morerwa.

The 53-year-old called on the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Defense to relocate the residential buildings in the area to protect them from the foul smell.

“They should move the residential plots further away from the barracks. That would probably save us from breathing this highly polluted air,” groaned Morerwa.

Another local resident, 29-year-old Kesaobaka Serero, voiced a similar complaint, saying the smell was so bad that it even made them lose their appetite.

“When you think you've cooked the best smelling dish, the air spoils it. In summer, we're even afraid to invite visitors to our house for fear they'll think we don't clean up well. Imagine bringing your brand new boyfriend into a house that smells like shit… oh, we need help!” said Serero, who asked The Voice to take a photo of him.

However, not all Wenela residents agree. Gobakwaone Mosika insists that the stench is a thing of the past.

“In recent years, we have been breathing clean air in the BDF quarter. Yes, a few years ago there was an extremely foul smell in the BDF camp, but that is no longer the case. I don't know what they have done, but things have definitely improved,” claims the 34-year-old.

Mosika says the only smell they have to contend with now comes from the pit latrines and leaky drains in the neighborhood.

Just last week, Goretetse Kekgonegile, Member of Parliament for Maun East, asked the Minister of Defence and Security to brief Parliament on the sewage systems at the BDF camp in Maun.

In particular, he wanted to know how the camp disposes of its waste water, what measures have been taken with households near the BDF's waste water tanks, how the BDF is dealing with the extreme odour nuisance in households near the waste water tanks and what compensation is being paid to these households to help them alleviate the health damage caused by the stench.

Minister Kagiso Mmusi then assured the MP that the terrible smell had hardly occurred since the installation of a bioreactor in the storage ponds in April 2017.

“Before the installation of the bioreactor, there were complaints from residents living near the camp. However, since this action was taken to address the pollution deficiencies, neither the BDF nor the ministry have received any complaints to date. It must be noted that the solution to the unpleasant sewage odour that led to the installation of the bioreactor was the result of a consultation process with residents around the camp,” said Mmusi, adding that an unpleasant odour only escapes when there is a system failure.

“Such incidents are rare and can often be remedied quickly,” he stressed, explaining that the bioreactor purifies the wastewater biologically.

“The plant has the capacity to efficiently treat 20 cubic metres of wastewater daily. The wastewater is regularly tested and is proven to meet the wastewater standards of BOBS93:2001. The wastewater is used to irrigate the warehouse. It must be noted that wastewater treatment plants naturally have an odour, but this is not objectionable.”

Previously, sewage trucks were used to empty the storage tanks and transport the wastewater to Maun's municipal sewage treatment plant.

Finally, on the issue of compensation, Mmusi said that there was actually no such problem.

“At no time have we received any complaints from residents who have suffered from health problems that may have been linked to the smell of sewage from the camp,” he concluded.