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Addis Ababa – This coming March 2021 will mark the fifth year since the only landfill in Addis Ababa Reppi (locally called Qoshe) collapsed, killing more than 115 people and displacing the rest without any assets. In Ethiopia, a three-day national mourning was declared.
Currently, more than 82 households with legal documents and more than 132 households without legal documents live together in the very high risk area.
Agegnhush Arega, a mother of four who lives near the landfill, was one of the ‘undocumented’ residents in Reppi. She told Addis Standard that she has been living here for the past eight years. “I am a leper so I cannot rent a house. I have a son who is also affected by leprosy. Where can we go? They call us illegal but will they give us another option?” he implored in a low, sad voice. Agegnhush, is one of 132 homes in Reppi that the government considers illegal.
And there is the story of Adanech Birega, 50, a mother of four, who came to Addis Ababa after losing her husband in Hossana, Hadiya area, SNNP region. Currently, living in a rented house and paying 200 birr a month, she is one of the informal garbage collectors at Reppi’s Waste to Energy plant. “Living and working in this area is very dangerous for our lives, but I have no other choice. I have to fight with what I have,” Adanech said. Reppi, it’s not just the landfill, it’s also a means of income for parts of the unemployed vulnerable community who live nearby.
The city of Addis Ababa disposes of 1,500 tons to 2,000 tons of waste per day, according to the Addis Ababa Solid Waste Management Agency. However, Dr. Eshetu Lemma said that 70 percent of Addis Ababa’s waste is organic and could be changed to different resources.
“Last year we recycled more than 35,000 tons of waste and the 6,400 workers earned 99 million birr. The proportion of the amount recycled is 4.5% to 5% of the total amount collected during the year, while expects total annual waste from Addis Ababa to be 547,500 – 730,000 tonnes. Dr. Eshetu added that the agency is working with more than 18 factories that recycle plastic, paper and clothing.
Occupying more than 37 hectares, Qoshe was not built to be a landfill. “If you remember the failed Sendafa landfill project, it was on its way to being a well-planned landfill, but things didn’t go as expected. After the Sandafa landfill project failed for many reasons, the government built Reppi Waste to Energy Plant that took four years to build. The plant was expected to convert 65 to 70 percent of daily waste into energy. Currently, the plant only takes 47 percent for different reasons, “said the Director to Addis Standard.
The sewage debate
While Addis Standard observed the vulnerable residents of Reppi. They complained about the sewage that they said came from the Plant. “During the rainy season the sewage smells awful and currently with the sunny season it’s going to be even worse. You can’t even sleep at home,” said Selenat Eneyew, a mother of six who lives next door to Reppi. According to Selenat, he has lived in that area since 2005.
BrukEbba, project manager for Reppi’s waste-to-energy plant, argued that “the wastewater from the plant does not have any toxicity.” “We receive all the waste from the Addis Ababa waste management agency. Most of the waste is solid, but we also receive biodegradable waste at times. We have a treatment plant for liquid sediment. Therefore, the wastewater from the plant are standard water that does not harm society and the environment, “said Bruk.
According to the project manager, since the plant is in the midst of accumulated waste containing toxic moisture over the years, perhaps the community thought the sewer is connected to this.
The unknown fate of Reppi’s undocumented community
Samuel Abebe, Head of Administration of Kolfe Keranio Wereda 01 Secondary City, told Addis Standard that the secondary city was trying to resettle the nearby community of Reppi. “It has been almost three months since I was assigned to this position. Therefore, I do not have detailed information about the past. What I currently know is that the Sub City Office of Land Development and Urban Renewal is working on it.”
Samuel Abebe, the administrator, also said that “the neighbors do not have any legal documents, which further complicates the problem.” “I know there are ongoing initiatives to resettle those with legal documents. Residents without legal documents are those who took over the land after 2005 and are therefore excluded from receiving compensation or resettlement,” according to Samuel. Regarding the future of those who are undocumented and highly vulnerable, the administrator referred the Addis Standard to land development in sub-cities and an office of urban renewal.
Yerga Werekenh, head of the Kolfe Keranio Subcity Land Development and Urban Renewal office, told Addis Standard that “the problem of undocumented settlers needs a Cabinet decision.” He continued: “We received letters about the vulnerable community from the Peace and Security office. After the previous fatal accident, we continued to resettle those who were in the landfill in different areas, but there are still many unsolved problems.” According to the head of the bureau, the government is working only with those who have legal documents.
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Even with them there are challenges. “After we gave them a substitute and compensation, there was reluctance from the government and the community for different reasons. This was due to insufficient infrastructure in the new settlement area, different court cases regarding farmers who used to owning that land and the scarcity and cost of construction materials in the market are some of the points raised by both, ”Yerga said.
“Obviously, the government is considering only those with legal documents and settlers who lived before 2005. But we cannot leave the undocumented behind for any reason.” Yerga said.
According to information that Addis Standard obtained from the Kolfe Keranio Sub-City Land Development and Urban Renewal office, after the fatal accident, two rounds of resettlement were taking place excluding so-called ‘undocumented residents’. In the third round, the government registered 132 households without documents and 62 with legal documents. However, only the latter will have the opportunity for a new home.
Thus, the undocumented residents of Reppi and their risk of suffering a landfill collapse again were still looming. HOW
