Luanda - The State Minister for Social Affairs, Carolina Cerqueira, announced Saturday that as of Monday an emergency campaign to clean up and collect solid waste in the province of Luanda will be carried out.
The campaign, which aims to eliminate areas of rubbish accumulated in several municipalities, will count on the participation of 12 construction companies located in the Angolan capital, members of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and operators with a tradition in the area.
According to the minister, who was speaking at a press conference as coordinator of the Multisectoral Commission created by the President of the Republic, the action aims to eliminate sources of rubbish in the Angolan capital, as a way of preventing the outbreak of diseases that threaten the wellbeing of the population.
The State minister said she hoped that the protection of the common good, health and welfare of the population would speak louder and would make it possible to carry out continuous actions with a great sense of collective responsibility, in order to clean up the city of Luanda, promote sanitation, drainage and cleaning, focusing on the defence and preservation of the health and welfare of families, particularly children and the most vulnerable populations.
Carolina Cerqueira noted that, at a time when efforts are being made to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which requires, necessarily, a greater concern with cleaning and disinfestation of public spaces, the aim is to help the Luanda Provincial Government (GPL) to solve the "very serious" specific problem (basic sanitation).
The Government minister said that, after solving the problem of rubbish, the government would pay particular attention to urban regeneration, which should be seen as a strategic process, involving the articulation and integration of various components (housing, culture, social cohesion, public space and mobility).
"To that end, the government plans to adopt a policy of cities whose urban programmes will not only enhance the territory but also the material and spiritual heritage and thus contribute to the country's progress and economic development," she added.
The problem of rubbish in Luanda began to worsen in January, 2021, after the provincial government suspended contracts with cleaning companies.
The measure was based on the inability of local authorities to continue paying the operators in foreign currency and at the exchange rate of the day, as stipulated in the contracts signed in 2016.
Available data indicates that by November 2020, the debt of the Luanda government to the operators totalled over 200 billion kwanzas.
Until January 2021, the process of collecting solid waste in Luanda was the responsibility of companies Queiroz Galvão, in Luanda municipality, Vista Waste, Talatona and Belas municipalities, Nova Ambiental, in Viana, Rota Ambiental, in Cacuaco, Elisal, Cazenga, and Sã Ambiente, in Icolo e Bengo and Quiçama.
In order to replace the companies, a public tender was launched following a presidential order on 23 February, authorising the expenditure and formalising the opening of an emergency contracting procedure worth KZ 34.8 billion for cleaning services and solid waste collection.
The process for contracting new operators, which began on 24 February 2021, had the participation of 69 companies, 39 of which met the requirements. Of these, seven have qualified.
