The Effects of Solid Waste Dumping on Infrastructures and Human Health : Dandora Dump Site, Nairobi County

Abstract

Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya has a population of over 4 million.It is one of the most densely populated cities in Eastern Africa. It has a population density of over 4000 persons per square kilometer and is estimated to generate over 2000 tons of solid waste per day. This waste that is collected on a daily basis is transported and dumped at Dandora Dumpsite, the only gazetted dumpsite in Nairobi County.The study will concentrate onthe effects of solid waste dumping on infrastructures and human health and: a case study of dandora dump site, nairobi county. The dumping of solid waste at the dumpsite, studies have shown, leads to numerous environmental challenges. It has been shown that currently, the County government and previously, the City Council have not sustainably managed the large quantities of solid waste thus attracting other actors such as waste collection companies, community based organizations, resident associations and youth groups to offer support in alleviating the problem.This study showed that the indiscriminate dumping of solid waste at Dandora Dumpsite affects negatively the infrastructure of the area comprising of roads, drainages, water and sewerage systems, electricity connections and premises. It also contributes to poor human health. The goal was to analyze whether solid waste dumping near estates destroys infrastructures, degrades the environment and endangers human health. The case study was based on Dandora Dumpsite in Nairobi County. In an attempt to define this goal, the study was guided by the following other objectives:To find out if dumping of solid wastes at Dandora Dumpsite causes destruction of infrastructures such as roads and to find out whether the existence of the dumpsite has human heath challenges.The Hypothesis for these study were; H0: There is minimal relationship amid solid waste dumping and negative effects on infrastructure at Dandora.H1: There is a big relationship amid solid waste dumping and negative effects on infrastructure at Dandora.H0: There is minimal relationship amid solid waste dumping and negative effects on human health at Dandora.H1: There is a big relationship amid solid waste dumping and negative effects on human health at Dandora.Due to the nature of the target population in Dandora, the researcher used simple random and purposive sampling methods; the former allows for random selection of samples from the population, while the latter is a sampling technique that allows the use of cases/persons that have the required information with respect to the objectives of the study (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003). Field data will be obtained from primary and secondary sources. Primary sources of data refer to the firsthand information sources such as households, offices, businesses and institutions who volunteered information to the researchers on request. 120 respondents who were interviewed.Secondary sources of data refer to such information sources as books, journals, newspapers and other secondary materials. Both SPSS and Excel spreadsheet softwares were used for the analysis. After obtaining the raw data set, it was sorted, edited, cleaned and coded. The open-ended questions were manually analyzed by grouping responses into similar themes, tallying them and obtaining frequencies by using excel spreadsheet.