Huambo — Angolan Minister of Environment Ana Paula de Carvalho Pereira on Monday assured that the management and treatment of solid waste in Catenguenha, in the municipality of Cuima, Huambo Province, will be modernised to promote environmental sustainability.
The minister was speaking at the relaunch of the Catenguenha Waste Recovery and Treatment Centre, a project valued at 52.967 million US dollars and scheduled to take 14 months to complete.
She said that as cities grow, so do the demands for organised systems for the collection, transport, treatment, recovery and final disposal of waste, making waste recovery essential for environmental preservation.
She said waste must be viewed as a resource and an opportunity to generate value, promote entrepreneurship, create jobs and develop a more circular and environmentally sustainable economy.
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The minister noted that the 100-hectare facility in Catenguenha, Cuima municipality, was designed to serve, over a 20-year period, a population that could reach around two million people.
She stressed that the current challenge was to turn this situation into an opportunity to promote an increasingly participatory environmental approach, involving schools, communities and companies, while also reducing waste generation.
She said it was essential to develop a fully-fledged Waste Recovery and Treatment Centre designed in accordance with the required standards and capable of integrating different waste management solutions.
According to the minister, the implementation of eco-centres and a sorting facility will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill while creating conditions for the establishment and strengthening of recycling industries.
She said the project could become an infrastructure for economic and social development.
The minister added that the Huambo landfill project was aligned with key national planning instruments, including the Angola 2050 Long-Term Strategy, the 2023-2027 National Development Plan and the Strategic Plan for Urban Solid Waste Management.
For his part, Huambo Provincial Governor Pereira Alfredo stressed that the facility would enable solid waste to be converted into economic value through recycling and reuse.
He said the project would address problems associated with exposed rubbish dumps in some parts of Huambo Province, which pose a risk to public health, ensuring that waste management would henceforth comply with standards of dignity and sustainability.
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The facility, designed to meet environmental standards and equipped with advanced technology, is expected to be completed in 2027 and benefit 1.61 million residents in the municipalities of Caála, Cuima, Ecunha and Huambo through recycling and solid waste management programmes, while protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development.
The project includes a waste recovery unit, eco-centres and a sorting facility, which will form part of reuse and recycling chains, as well as the construction of 35 kilometres of roads to ensure access and mobility.
