3. The Dandora Municipal Waste Dumping Site
The Dandora Municipal waste dumping Site, located to the East of Nairobi,
is the main dumping site for most of the solid waste from Nairobi area. The site
is about 8 kilometers away from the city centre and occupies about 30 acres of
land. Surrounding the dump are the Kariobangi North and Korogocho informal
settlements and the residential estates of Dandora and Babadogo. Over 2,000
tonnes of waste generated and collected from various locations in Nairobi and its
environs are deposited on a daily basis into the dumpsite and what initially was to
be refilling of an old quarry has given rise to a big mountain of garbage. Dumping
at the site is unrestricted and industrial, agricultural, domestic and medical wastes
(including used syringes) are seen strewn all over the dumping site.
The Nairobi River also passes beside the dumpsite. Some of the waste from
the dump ends up into the River thus extending environmental and health risks to
the communities living within the vicinity as well as those living downstream who
could be using the water for domestic and agricultural purposes like irrigation.