Can we produce methane from Dandora dumpsite?

The Dandora dumpsite is sandwiched between residential estates in the eastern part of Nairobi, with smoke bellowing out daily, day and night, even during rainy seasons.

And because of the smoke, people living close to the dump site have had to the bad smell that emanates from the intentional and spontaneous fires, and have even contracted diseases ranging from chest complications to cancer.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to a new study being carried out by UNEP in collaboration with the University of Nairobi (UoN) and the City Council of Nairobi (CCN).

“The site seems to have amounts of methane from the decomposing materials,” UNEP Kenya Country Programme Coordinator Henry Ndede said in an interview

And UNEP, UoN and CCN are undertaking a study on methane emanating from the area. The study will help develop an integrated solid management and also promote segregation of garbage in Nairobi.

The study will establish whether there are economically viable quantities of methane in the area.

Ndede said the study would also seek ways to save people from contracting diseases. Moreover, people who live nearby or pass through the site inhale the smoke and smell that is emanating from area, and end up contracting diseases.

“Local people are exposed to the heavy odours and that lead to airborne related ailments,” he warned.

Nairobi River

Meanwhile, waste from the site has been leeching into the Nairobi River, especially during heavy rains. This, in turn, impacts on the activities of local farmers who grow vegetables along the river and later sell locally to the unsuspecting residents.  In 2006, a joint study by UNEP and the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta National Hospital and City Council of Nairobi found out that many people who live around the site have high levels of metal in their blood, which has negatively impacted on their lives.

“UNEP wants to create a platform for stakeholders to come on board and help identify a problem and bring it in public domain,” Ndede said.

But Ndede insisted that the site had to be relocated to another site, where it could be made into a landfill, since it currently does not have proper protection.

The dumpsite sits on an old quarry site, which is not gazetted as a dumpsite. And it is believed that 3,000 metric tonnes of garbage lands in the site daily.

“It is only integration of waste management plan that will help identify new revenue stream for people as it will help create jobs within a clean environment,” Ndede noted.  

He also recommended that the city be divided into boroughs, with each borough tasked to manage its own garbage. Ndede cited Dar as Salaam city, which is divided into three municipalities, and has two dumpsites currently. Among the sites is Mtoni dumpsite Biogas Project that is managed jointly with an Italian firm, Consorzio Stabile Globus. 

The site produces over 202,000 carbon credits per annum and generates 2.5 megawatts of electricity from methane produced by solid waste. 

— Xinhua