It is still unknown how long the Hulene dump in Maputo city will close. For now, the only certainty is that the open air landfill will continue to operate indefinitely.

This is due to the fact that, to this day, the Maputo municipality has not found a definitive solution.

The site that had been identified to host the new Maputo dump will not be available "in the near future", said the Councillor for Spatial Planning, Environment and Urbanization of the Maputo City Council, quoted by "Noticias ao Minuto".

The municipal plan was to build another sanitary landfill in Matlemele, in Matola Municipality, but its realization is still a mirage. The reasons that hinder this objective were not explained by the Councilman.

Silva Magaia assured that while this is not happening the municipality will strive to constantly maintain the viability of using the dump.

The authorities are now betting on the construction of a landfill in the district of Katembe, on the southern shore of the bay of the capital, in an area of 25 hectares. The Katembe project is funded by the World Bank.

"We have introduced a solid waste disposal methodology [at the Hulene dump] that allows us to have a cushion until we have the Katembe landfill ready for use in 2024," he advanced.

In 2018, 16 people died when a trash slide in Hulene hit several houses built around it, prompting the Mozambican authorities to commit to finding another destination for the waste.

At the time, several families were removed from nearby Hulene to rental houses paid for by the government.

Besides taking in trash, the place is also a source of income for more than 500 collectors who pick up recyclable waste.