Illegal developments and compliance violations continue to pose significant challenges for the Nasinu Town Council, leading to persistent issues within the municipality. Chief Executive Felix Magnus has highlighted that many of the prevailing problems, such as drainage blockages caused by driveways built over existing drains, were inherited from circumstances existing prior to the council’s establishment in 2000.
Magnus emphasizes the importance of community consultation and council oversight to mitigate these issues effectively. He stated, “At the end of the day, once the development is over, all the complaints come back to the council. So we want to be the first to inspect these development plans, to have our say. And the community too needs to have their say.” This proactive approach aims to engage the community in the planning process, ensuring that developments are compliant and do not disrupt local infrastructure.
Additionally, Magnus expressed concerns regarding waste management in light of residential extensions. He pointed out that some residents have expanded their homes significantly, leading to increased waste generation without an equivalent rise in service fees. “Some people have gone ahead and extended their homes, have four flats, five flats. And we’re only charging them a garbage collection fee of $80, one. But then there are four households living there. So when they put out garbage, there’s about eight plastic bags coming out from one household. So that creates an issue for us,” he explained.
Minister for Local Government, Maciu Nalumisa, affirmed that these challenges are ongoing and that the council is tasked with following up on illegal developments and property extensions. He stated, “But the council is there to follow up, to ensure that whoever is doing illegal developments or illegal extensions on their properties, as well as illegal developments, their duty is to ensure that they give out, they go and see them and also issue them notices.”
The ministry is actively working on enforcing proper oversight and compliance measures, aiming to tackle the challenges posed by illegal developments effectively. With continued efforts towards community involvement and rigorous enforcement, there is hope for a more organized and compliant urban development landscape in Nasinu.
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