Dear Editor,

The issue of sewage management in and around Kigali City is still a big problem. Kigali City Council (KCC) had given city building owners up to the end of December 31, 2007 to organise themselves such that waste management measures could be implemented.

However, only 39 out of 150 building owners managed to honour the directive while the rest claimed lack of capacity to build such systems. Now, the council has backtracked and instead opted for a central treatment plant to cater for the entire city sewage.

Sources in KCC revealed that the first blueprints of the master plan would be unveiled by the end of January, but nothing has come of it yet.

KCC argues that the absence of a master plan is no reason for people to poison the environment and that concerned parties should be considerate.

Although KCC have now turned their attention to a central treatment centre, they should not forget that not much will be achieved without a City Master Plan to guide the public on how and where to dispose off sewage.

It is only the plan that can lay ground to have a lasting solution for the sewage problem. I suggest that KCC gets an appropriate location, with a city master plan that gives a detailed account of the design and formation of roads and structures, and then build the central treatment plant where building owners can dispose waste at a fee.

I wish the planned plant is constructed before the year comes to an end. It is an embarrassment to have a beautiful but smelling city.

Kimironko