Save residents around King Faisal Hospital

Dear readers, This time round we have unearthed a serious case of pollution but this time by a reputable and high class hospital in the country, King Faisal Hospital which is discharging millions of waste material into the neighbourhood. Experts estimate about 316 million litres of waste is flowing down the valley every year. The hospital sewage system erupted about three years ago but since then, nothing tangible has been done to install a new one or refurbish the current one. The life of hundreds of people in the area is endangered but concerned authorities seem to be paying lip service by only saying that there is no expertise to do the job. The health ministry says the hospital’s capacity has increased from 170 to 250 patients every day. The waste also increases every day. The hospital seems not to have a convincing reason to the residents of the area. The health ministry says there was no plan that people or business would be set up around the area. The hospital is also embroiled in a melee with a city tycoon who had started fixing an amusement park but his business was halted after an environmental body suddenly stopped him. Read on in the story.Meanwhile, as we celebrate this year’s World Food Day, we need to seriously keep alive the issue of a food policy to deter any occurrences of food shortages. Silos and storage facilities like the ones government has distributed to various districts have to be optimally used. Rwanda has enough arable land to produce adequate food for her people. The government should be commended for this effort to avoid a malnourished population, and there should be proper use of land as is already been advised by the agriculture ministry, to put together pieces of land for mechanization. Nice weekend.oundoricky@hotmail.com