Integrity Management (IM) toolbox to improve urban waste man

Currently, Absence of accountability is the mother of all problems including poor waste management service in cities. Therefore, IM toolbox is the right medicine to diagnose the chronic disease.

The proposal looks very sound and workable. The methods and the approaches that he is going to use to manage the wastes of Bahir Dar city, which is one of the beautiful and the fastest growing cities of Ethiopia, will be undoubtedly applicable. The periodic removal and treatment of both the solid and liquid wastes of the city will have a positive impact in many respects. Firstly, it will make the city very neat and attractive adding to the beauty of the city.

Secondly, the city will be free from bad odors making its residents healthy and robust. Thirdly, as it is one the tourist destinations/attractions, the number of tourists coming to the city will increase and thereby the revenue from the tourism industry will be enhanced. Fourthly, the city will continue hosting and getting foreign currency from participants of the Tana Forum every year. Fifthly, the removal and treatment of wastes will create jobs for the youths and women.

This method piloted in 3 rural WASH villages and was successful in bringing behavioural change regarding proper waste management, water infrastructure management, personal hygiene, gender equality, social inclusion. Therefore; I recommend the IM method to be selected and piloted.

In many urban communities, people’s participation in management of infrastructures is mostly sidelined. Due to this problem, there is a high uproar of urban residents regarding poor quality of infrastructures, poor service quality & non transparent governance. The case of Bahir Dar is not different from this. Therefore; this method is important to establish transparent and accountable municipal governance.

The IM toolbox could help the municipality to fully involve the urban community in the planning, implementation, M&E stage of urban waste management and creating sense of ownership. By its nature, this method is participatory and follows bottom-up approach. Therefore, with a little tailoring of the tool piloted in rural WASH villages around Bahir Dar, It is important to implement in urban waste management.

Sixth, the dwellers will change their tradition and start to dispose their garbage responsively and with caution. Seventh, the products of recycling will help as import substitutes and/or help to conserve and use scares resources wisely. Eighth, the flow of tourists, the hosting of the Tana Forum delegates altogether will contribute for the growth of the income of the city and the betterment of the lives of its inhabitants.

The practicality of the proposal is not uncertain as the applicant has lots of experience in governance, leadership and city administration. Furthermore, the proposal has its own implementing strategy and will be collaboratively implemented and periodically evaluated with the city administration officials.

Creating sense of ownesrhip and icreasing awarness on the importance of improved snaitation and waste management practices are the key tasks to achieve success in changing the knowledge and practices of ccommunities from current state to a desired future state. And Integrity Management Toolbox is a proven approach in adresssing these two key approaches. Moreover it will contribute to demand-driven participation of the target community in alleviation of challnges in urban waste management.

This idea stated about foremost challenge of gender inequality and has an effect on gender equality in regard to waste management.