The City Administration is planning to change the dumpsite into a scientific park

The Addis Abeba City Administration has received 10 million euros loan from the government of France to close down Repi Landfill, a.k.a Qoshe. The site is recently identified as vulnerable to fire hazards.

Research conducted by the City Administration has recently revealed that due to smouldering fire underneath the garbage, the site is prone to catching fire. The loan will be used to close down the dump and convert it into a 10ha scientific park. To develop plans for the park, the City has hired a consultancy firm.

Just two weeks ago, the government of Japan added two million dollars to the project and the Administration is contributing 100,000 dollars. The City, Japan and United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT) are currently implementing a solid waste management system to prevent another landslide and methane explosions at the site.

"The Embassy of Japan responded immediately to the request from the City Administration," said Akira Uchida, deputy chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan.

UN-HABITAT is working to rehabilitate the area by employing the Fukuoka method, a semi-aerobic landfill solution that transforms methane gas to carbon dioxide. The method has been implemented in more than 13 countries. The project is expected to be finalised in March 2019.

The new project will have a positive impact as it will reduce the release of methane gas, a threat to the area, by converting it into carbon dioxide, according to a lecturer at Addis Abeba.

A year and a half ago, a tragic accident occurred at Qoshefollowing a landslide. The incident took the lives of over one hundred people. Households of the area were forced to relocate by the City Administration but close to 120 families currently still reside in the area.

The Administration has previously closed a 19ha area, and a new waste to energy facility is under construction on seven hectares of land. The facility has the capacity to recycle and convert 1,400tns of waste a day into electric energy.

After partially closing the site, three years ago, the City Administration inaugurated a replacement dump site at Sendafa, Oromia Regional State, 25Km north of the capital, with financial assistance from the French Development Agency (AFD). VINCI Grands Projects, a French construction company, constructed the landfill that occupies 137ha at a cost of over 337 million Br. The landfill is designed to receive wastes from the 3.4 million residents of the capital and the 195,255 residents of the Oromia special zones. However, it can not be put into operation as the farmers in the area have blocked the project.

"The City Administration is negotiating with the officials of the Oromia Regional State to resume operations at the Sendafa landfill," said Haile Feseha, manager of Addis Abeba City Government.