The City of Bulawayo says recurring fires at the Richmond Landfill, popularly known as Ngozi Mine, are largely caused by inadequate waste-compaction equipment, with authorities calling for urgent investment in compactors to properly manage the site.
Speaking during a tour of the landfill on Wednesday, Bulawayo City Council Director of Health Services, Dr Edwin Mzingwane, said the city has struggled to adequately compact and cover waste due to equipment shortages, creating conditions that allow fires to ignite and spread.
The tour was attended by officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and members of the Joint Operations Command.
Residents of the nearby Cowdray Park suburb have repeatedly complained about smoke emanating from the dumpsite, raising concerns over possible health risks associated with prolonged exposure to toxic fumes.
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“This landfill was commissioned in 1994 and was designed to operate as a sanitary landfill,” said Dr Mzingwane.
“If we had been disposing of waste correctly, where waste is confined, compacted and covered with gravel or soil on a regular basis, we would not be experiencing the challenges that we are facing today.”
He explained that proper landfill management requires waste to be compacted and covered to prevent exposure to oxygen, which sustains combustion.
“For a fire to continue burning, there must be combustible material, there must be oxygen and there must be a spark. When waste is left exposed because compaction and covering have not been done to our satisfaction, fires become inevitable,” he said.
Dr Mzingwane said some sections of the landfill were already emitting smoke, an indication of underground fires that are difficult to extinguish.
“As we speak, there is smoke coming from some parts of the waste mass. The only effective way to put out such fires is to suffocate them by dumping soil, compacting the waste and covering it properly,” he said.
He attributed the problem to the breakdown of critical landfill equipment, which has hampered efforts to achieve the required levels of waste compaction.
“The equipment that is supposed to do this work has been down for some time. As a result, it has been difficult for us to achieve the level of compaction required to manage the landfill effectively,” he said.
Dr Mzingwane said the city is mobilising resources, including support from its parent ministry, to improve operations at the site. However, he stressed that acquiring and maintaining functional compactors remains critical to preventing future fire outbreaks.
He added that council is rehabilitating a weighbridge expected to be commissioned by the end of the next quarter to help measure waste volumes and improve waste management planning at the landfill.
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