It is Tuesday 8 am and business is already in full swing at Chitakale Market in Mulanje District. However, the soothing aroma of fresh pineapple, mangoes and bananas of the hilly district is overpowered by a stench from waste piling up behind the bus depot along the M2. The foul-smelling heap at the heart of the market is dominated by chemical and solid waste that has not been collected for over half a year.
Both sellers and buyers are concerned that Mulanje District Council continues sidestepping the dumps even though it collects market fees daily through its agents. “Council authorities are swift at collecting market fees, but need several reminders to clear waste,” says Chitakale Market Committee chairperson Wyson Paipi. “This forces us to trade in a filthy environment where many ask: Where do market fees go?” The question goes unanswered as leftovers and single-use plastics pile up at every turn in the business hotspot near Mulanje Boma.
Paipi says he cannot recall the year the dumpsite at the centre of the roadside market was removed, levelled or halved. “It’s now two weeks since they removed the waste at the bus stage, but the dumpsite has been overflowing for years,” he states. The situation puts businesspersons and customers at risk of contracting waterborne diseases, including the cholera outbreak which has claimed one life from 26 patients detected since last December.
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The world’s deadliest cholera outbreak killed about 1 700 of nearly 50 000 confirmed between 2022 and 2023, health authorities report. According to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, over half of outpatients in the country’s clinics suffer from diseases prevented by insisting on safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Apart from cholera, the deadly diseases include diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid.
Like all districts, cities and towns nationwide, the district in the shadow of Mulanje Mountain—Malawi’s highest point and second-top tourist destination—lacks waste collection, treatment and disposal facilities. The eyesore flashes past in the district’s major markets, including Nkando, Chinakanaka, Limbuli and Muloza.
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