Plastic pollution cuts power in DR Congo

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Two workers from the Ruzizi I hydroelectric plant take an inspection tour of the Ruzizi River to see the level of plastic waste around the dam of the plant in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on March 17, 2022. – At the southern end of Lake Kivu bordered by green hills, a compact layer of plastic waste is constantly forming, to the point of blocking the turbines of the largest hydroelectric power station in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ruzizi dam attracts the thousands of bottles, cans and other rubbish thrown into the lake like a magnet, which stretches for some 90 km on the border between the DRC and Rwanda. (Photo by Guerchom NDEBO / AFP)

by Ricky OMBENI
Agence France-Presse

BUKAVU, DR Congo (AFP) – Among rolling hills around the southern tip of majestic Lake Kivu, huge layers of plastic waste ride the water and block the turbines of the largest hydroelectric plant in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Ruzizi dam is polluted by thousands of bottles, cans and other objects thrown into the lake, which stretches 90 kilometres (56 miles) along the border between DR Congo and Rwanda.

“Since the lake flows towards the Ruzizi River, all the waste thrown into it comes here little by little,” Lievin Chizungu, production manager at the dam’s power station, told AFP.

The mountainous terrain and rainy climate around lakeside Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province, do not help.

“The rainwater carries the waste into the lake and then into the river,” Jovy Mulemangabo, an engineer for the national electricity company (SNEL) in south Kivu, told AFP.

Chizungu says  piles of waste can “reach a depth of 14 metres” (almost 46 feet). Divers clean the river bed to keep debris from clogging the turbines. If waste gets trapped, towns in the area are deprived of power.

Two workers from the Ruzizi I hydroelectric plant take an inspection tour of the Ruzizi River to see the level of plastic waste around the dam of the plant in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on March 17, 2022. – At the southern end of Lake Kivu bordered by green hills, a compact layer of plastic waste is constantly forming, to the point of blocking the turbines of the largest hydroelectric power station in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ruzizi dam attracts the thousands of bottles, cans and other rubbish thrown into the lake like a magnet, which stretches for some 90 km on the border between the DRC and Rwanda. (Photo by Guerchom NDEBO / AFP)

Other employees clean the surface, using barges.

“I have been doing this job for 13 years,” Byunanine Mubalama told AFP. “Every day there is garbage I have to clean up.”

— ’The impact is huge’ —

But it is not enough. One of the four units in the plant was damaged by debris at the end of January, and it is still down.

“The impact is huge. We have a deficit of 6.3 megawatts out of 30 total MW that we must produce not only for South Kivu, but also for neighbouring North Kivu province and for Burundi,” Chizungu said.

Garbage also caused an alternator to fail at the Ruzizi 2 power plant about 25 km south of Bukavu. With the damage at both plants, they are 20 MW short, Chizungu said.

This has provoked “many power outages in Bukavu and Uvira”.

Nicole Menemene, 29, collects plastic waste on the lake’s shores to make baskets, flowerpots, stools and nightstands.

Nicole Menene, a young entrepreneur, works in her plastic bottle recycling workshop in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on March 16, 2022. – With the intention to make the city of Bukavu clean Nicole Menene has initiated a project to recycle plastic waste by transforming it into garbage cans, tables and floors. Since 2019 she has been working hard to realize her dream, since January of this year Nicole has already recycled three tons of plastic waste. (Photo by Guerchom NDEBO / AFP)

She runs a private company called Plastycor that transforms trash into “beautiful and useful” objects.

“We do the work by hand,” Menemene said.

The company has 10 employees, but her goal is to “industrialise” their work. With her project and other local efforts, Menemene hopes to see a “90 percent reduction of Lake Kivu’s pollution”.

Pascal Mubalama, 30, a worker at the Ruzizi I hydroelectric plant, steers a dugout canoe around the dam to inspect the level of waste in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on March 16, 2022. – At the southern end of Lake Kivu bordered by green hills, a compact layer of plastic waste is constantly forming, to the point of blocking the turbines of the largest hydroelectric power station in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ruzizi dam attracts the thousands of bottles, cans and other rubbish thrown into the lake like a magnet, which stretches for some 90 km on the border between the DRC and Rwanda. (Photo by Guerchom NDEBO / AFP)

— ‘We have to teach people’ —

Gustave Mulamba, 58, operations manager of the Ruzizi I hydroelectric plant, works in the control room to check the progress and output of the turbines in Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on March 16, 2022. – The Ruzizi I hydroelectric power plant has a turbine-generator unit out of order because of waste that was deposited at the entrance to the water collection center. (Photo by Guerchom NDEBO / AFP)

Education is a crucial first step in reducing the lake’s plastic pileup, Chizungu said.

“First, we have to teach people that they cannot dump waste in the lake,” he said, adding that authorities should crack down on people tossing garbage in the waters.

But for some local residents, it is not so simple.

“Our houses are crammed together on small plots. There is no way to manage garbage,” Mathilde Binja said. “I have no choice but to throw it into Kawa river, which dumps into the lake”.

The city does offer garbage collection and disposal services for $3 to $5 (2.70 to 4.50 euros) per month, Malgache Malyanga, director of Bukavu Household Waste Management Program (PGDM), told AFP.

“Many inhabitants prefer to throw their garbage out on the road at night or in the lake,” Malyanga said.

Jovy Mulemangabo, the director of the South Kivu National Electricity Company (SNEL), is seen in his office reading a paper to sensitize the community on the management of plastic waste in Bukavu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on March 16, 2022. – At the southern end of Lake Kivu bordered by green hills, a compact layer of plastic waste is constantly forming, to the point of blocking the turbines of the largest hydroelectric power station in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ruzizi dam attracts the thousands of bottles, cans and other rubbish thrown into the lake like a magnet, which stretches for some 90 km on the border between the DRC and Rwanda. (Photo by Guerchom NDEBO / AFP)

This could be either from ignorance or lack of funds to pay for waste removal services, he added.

To combat the plague of plastic waste filling the world’s lakes, oceans and lands, the United Nations launched negotiations in March in Kenya for a global treaty against plastic pollution.

© Agence France-Presse