Djibouti: An environmental disaster waiting to explode?
By JANET OTIENO
| Thursday, May 2 2013 at 15:50
Anyone visiting Djibouti would testify that though it is a volcanic dessert,
it still boasts an amazing and unique landscape, not to mention the 800km
coastline.
On the day we arrived, it had rained the previous night so the city was
flooded, and all kind of garbage could be seen floating on the streets,
which usually have a filthy reputation.
After about a kilometre drive from the airport, garbage littering the
streets greets you. The residents dump all kind of waste in most streets.
Moreover, the stench emitted by the waste seems not to bother either the
authorities or the city dwellers.
I am not trying to say that Kenya's capital Nairobi would soon feature on
the list of clean cities, however, Djibouti's sanitation, drinking water and
hygiene services got me thinking.
My guide even told me to avoid stepping on any wet surface since it was
usually an open- urinal affair for men here.
The word hygiene is foreign here as we saw bread being transported in open
trucks and sold unwrapped. In the shops, it is poured on the floor and no
one cares to wash their hands before picking it up.
The shopkeeper takes money then picks up the unwrapped bread straight from
the floor and tosses it to the buyer, who carries it comfortable under their
arms or rather start eating it immediately.
I watched this procurement procedure in astonishment.
Respiratory infections
Though, it is only a few African countries like Kenya, Eritrea, Uganda and
South Africa which have effected limited restrictions/ban on public smoking,
in Djibouti it is a different tale as smokers have field days.
It is so normal for someone to light a cigarette and puff in a public
service vehicle...a pointer to many passive smokers in the Horn of African
nation.
Several studies notwithstanding, these smokers are not bothered by the
presence of expectant mothers or children. Pregnant women exposed to
second-hand smoke can have a greater risk of miscarriages or having babies
with low birth weight, while children are at higher risk of getting sick
because their developing lungs can easily be damaged.
According to WHO, acute respiratory infections account for 7 per cent of the
total share of the disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa.
Throughout my stay in Djibouti, I never saw anyone detesting the cigarette
smell, even though several studies have highlighted that passive smoke was
poisonous and had over 4000 chemicals, including 50 that could cause cancer.
According to UNEP, these could cause breathing problems and irritation of
the lung capillaries.
I cannot end without calling on the government to provide safe drinking
water to the citizenry; Djibouti's tap water is very salty.
Perhaps the government or private sector could consider setting up water
purification plant.
Messy or not, I cannot deny that the country still has its charm like the
French colonial architecture on most buildings, though it would be great if
the relevant authorities effected environmentally sound practices, starting
with basic hygiene like encouraging citizenry to wash their hands before
handling food.
