JUBA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Saturday announced an indefinite closure of all schools as a result of heatwaves over the past few days with very high temperatures both during the day and night.

Yolanda Awel Deng, minister for Health, said most parts of South Sudan are experiencing a heatwave expected to last at least two weeks with temperatures ranging between 41 degrees and 45 degrees Celsius.

"The government has decided to take the following measures, one, close down all schools with effect from March 18, two, during the closure of the schools, parents are advised to stop their children from playing outdoors for prolonged periods and they should also monitor children, especially the young ones, for signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke," Awel told reporters in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

She said heatwaves can acutely impact large populations for short periods, often trigger public health emergencies, and result in excess mortality and cascading socioeconomic impacts like loss of work capacity and labor productivity and can also cause loss of health service delivery capacity, where power shortages which often accompany heatwaves disrupt health facilities.

Awel said her ministry's disease surveillance department has put a system in place to detect and respond to cases, as there are already cases of death related to excessive heat being reported in South Sudan.

Joseph Africano Bartel, undersecretary for Environment in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said climate change is becoming a global phenomenon in which South Sudan will be experiencing a lot of temperature fluctuations.

He advised schools to make sure that they have good ventilation, install solar panels such that they will be able to have fans working, and also to make sure that trees are planted in compounds to produce microclimate.

Africano called on developed countries to cut emissions, warning South Sudan will experience the unusual impact of climate change soon including heavy rains, floods, and droughts. - Xinhua

The Government’s dangerous Rwanda Bill looks set to pass next week, after being pushed through ‘ping pong’ between the Commons and the Lords at breakneck speed.

The prospect of removals to Rwanda has already caused huge damage to our communities. People who have sought sanctuary in the UK, and should be starting to put down roots, have instead been threatened with being sent thousands of miles away, to a place where they likely have no connections, indefinitely.

Once this immoral Bill becomes law, that threat will become all too real. The Government has said that it aims to start putting people on planes as soon as the Bill passes – playing politics with people’s lives in the run-up to the election. This obsession with getting people on planes seems to know no bounds – shamefully, there are reports that the Home Office has been ringing people up out of the blue to offer them thousands of pounds if they relocate.

Resistance to these plans continues, and local councillors are key to it. Once people are threatened with removal, local councillors can play a key role in supporting residents at risk of removal, helping them to access legal advice and community support.

The Migrant Champions Network is circulating a joint statement for signature by local councillors, pledging to resist Rwanda removals and support residents at risk. If you are a local councillor concerned by these plans and their impact on your community, please sign and share now! By Mary Atkinson, Labour Hub

 Kenyan companies are pioneering innovative solutions to sort out recyclable waste from landfills and incentivize recycling at the consumer level

NAIROBI, Kenya 

At Dandora, a dumpsite in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the acrid tang of burning plastic hangs heavy in the air.

Towering mountains of assorted waste, from plastic bottles and metal cans to overflowing bags of organic matter, dominate the landscape, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The area serves as a symbol of Kenya's burgeoning waste crisis, a formidable challenge that equally bustling cities like Nairobi also face, along with peri-urban towns and villages in the country.

According to the chief executive officer of the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), Joseph Murabula, this burden has taken the form of a staggering "3,000 to 4,000 tons of waste produced daily."

This immense volume, coupled with a national infrastructure deficit hindering proper disposal, recycling, and treatment facilities, has created a concerning situation, says Murabula.

“The bulk of the waste is in the urban centers in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru and Kisumu, but about half of the 3,000 to 4,000 tons of daily waste is actually in Nairobi,” he added.

Inadequate waste management contributes significantly to health crises and environmental degradation in the East African nation, polluting land and water resources.

Communities living near overflowing landfills like Dandora bear the brunt of the problem, exposed to harmful toxins and a resulting increased risk of respiratory illness.

But, according to Murabula, people are now "seeing opportunities around the waste management sector."

"The market opportunity in Kenya is about $54 billion," he said.

"What that number shows is that that is the most promising sector of all the green sectors we have. The $54 billion is probably a bigger market opportunity than you have in agribusiness, renewable energy, water, and forestry."

Opportunity

Murabula said Kenyan companies are pioneering innovative solutions, demonstrating the potential to mitigate the crisis.

Takataka Solutions is one such company, founded on the principle of harnessing waste through recycling and upcycling.

"We have not only created employment opportunities for over 700 individuals, but we also collect over 90 tons of waste daily, encompassing all types except for medical waste.

"Importantly, organic waste is transformed into valuable compost, providing a sustainable solution," said Brian Sagala, head of marketing at Takataka Solutions.

Operating in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Takataka Solutions collects waste from homes, businesses, and industrial facilities to then sort at their facilities.

According to Sagala, the sorting allows them to recycle 95% of the waste. Plastic containers are transformed into valuable flakes and pellets for local manufacturers, organic waste is composted into a natural soil amendment, and other materials like paper, cardboard, and glass are directed to specialized partners for responsible recycling.

This model not only diverts waste from landfills but also creates a circular economy within Kenya, generating employment in different companies involved in the cycle.

Trash for profit

Taka Bank, unlike traditional banks, is not about money.

It is a community-driven initiative in Dandora, launched by Dandora Hip-hop City and the Mr. Green Africa Initiative, that sets up collection kiosks where residents can bring their recyclable waste like plastic bottles, paper, and metal.

Residents become "depositors" and dedicated youth working at the kiosks sort the collected waste into different categories.

This sorted waste then becomes Taka Bank's "currency," sold to recycling companies to generate income for the initiative.

It is a win-win for all sides as the residents get "tokens," a form of local currency, for every kilogram of waste they deposit.

These tokens can be redeemed for essential goods and services like food, cooking fuel, and even rent and school fees.

"Not only do we contribute to cleaning up our neighbourhood and protecting the environment, but we also empower our fellow residents," Marvine Okal, who operates a Taka Bank shop in Dandora, told Anadolu.

"Seeing the positive impact of our efforts, from the cleaner streets to the smiles on people's faces when they redeem their tokens, motivates me every day to continue this important work." By Andrew Wasike, Anadolu Agency