Employ pros at local government level to address sanitation issues

 Dear Editor,

In a car on my way to work on Tuesday, I listened to an interview on sanitation on a radio station which a local government expert said that most of the people that handled waste management issues at the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, were not waste manage­ment professionals but health profes­sionals.

According to the speaker, this has contributed to the failure to address the sanitation problems, especially at the local level.

These health professionals who have been tasked to oversee waste management are only occupied with the health related dangers but have no clue on the issues at hand.

I felt very sad and found it disturb­ing as to why people without profes­sional training in waste management is given responsibilities in a field alien to him.

Waste management involves a lot of processes, including segmentation of waste products as well as recy­cling.

Employers must know that waste management professionals at the local level was important as it helps making decisions ton how to combat it.

This is not a problem at the local government level alone. It is some­thing across the various sectors.

Maybe this is the time for us as a country to start recruiting qualified professionals to occupy their respec­tive fields to bring their competence to the table to solve whatever prob­lem persist.

It is clearly a case of putting ‘square pegs in round holes.’ I be­lieve it is about time we change that narrative and employ professionals who are qualified to find solutions to our waste management conundrum.

Baba Hafiz, Kasoa