Avaliação dos potenciais impactos ambientais associados a deposição de resíduos sólidos na baixa da cidade de Maputo

Abstract

The study investigates the environmental impacts of solid waste disposal in downtown Maputo. Using a qualitative approach and non-probabilistic sampling, 10 municipal council employees and 20 informal vendors were interviewed. Data collection involved participant observation and questionnaires, with the results analyzed using the grid adapted from Gama and Rocha (2016). It was found that informal commerce, predominant in the area, generates a large amount of solid waste, contributing to the clogging of stormwater drainage systems, which are already in precarious condition due to degradation and lack of adequate infrastructure. In addition, the waste collection service is insufficient, exacerbating the environmental problem. Although there are environmental education initiatives by both informal vendors and the Municipal Council, these are not very effective due to low participation and enforcement. The study recommends the implementation of more robust environmental education strategies, such as clean-up campaigns, community mobilization, awareness lectures, and public removal actions to mitigate the negative impacts of solid waste in the city.