Construction of the Katembe landfill will cost around 30 million dollars, equivalent to 1.9 billion meticais, but there are still no dates for work to begin. According to the Municipality of Maputo, everything depends on the environmental license, which is still in the process of being acquired, and the resettlement of families.

"Although the technical part is being developed in parallel, it is necessary to have this technical part of the environmental license before starting any construction," said Háfido Abacassamo, head of the urban transformation project, quoted by the newspaper "The Country".

The Katembe sanitary landfill, covering 60 hectares, in an area far from residential areas, is the site planned for depositing large quantities of waste after the closure of the Hulene dump in Maputo city. To facilitate access to the site, a 9 km road is to be built.

Although the construction project has been public knowledge for a long time, there is still uncertainty as to when work will begin.

"There is a whole infrastructure to prevent pollution, and there will clearly be a fence around the entire perimeter, because it is a restricted area, but also to prevent future invasions," Abacassamo said after another public hearing this Friday.

(Photo DR)