Environmental Leprosy Through the Lens of Waste Disposal and Management in Bamenda II Municipality, Northwest-Cameroon

Abstract

Waste, whether in solid or liquid form are indispensable parts of human activity. They emanate from man’s productive activities or as a by-product of the materials consumed by man. Man appears not able to deal sufficiently with this waste even though the natural environment is the recipient of this waste. In the Bamenda II municipal council, like in some other towns of Cameroon, solid waste dumping is indiscriminate and has exerted negative effect on the environment. This study termed environmental leprosy through the lens of waste disposal in Bamenda II had as objectives to investigate solid waste disposal methods as drivers to environmental leprosy, assess the relationship between household’s attitude and practices of indiscriminate solid waste disposal and identify measures that can be taken to eliminate environmental leprosy in Bamenda II Municipality. To achieve these objectives, data were obtained through primary and secondary sources using a mixed design method of inquiry which combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore data on solid waste dumping in the study matrix. Purposive and systematic sampling techniques were employed for the sample population of 156 using Miller & Brewer sample determination method. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS logistic version 20. Results from the analysis showed that indiscriminate solid waste dumping have exerted negative effects on the environment thus environmental leprosy. The study also indicated that households attitude have also contributed greatly to indiscriminate sold waste dump in Bamenda II. The study therefore strongly recommends the Ministry of Health and that of Environment at the national and regional levels, to both agree on responsibilities for appropriate waste management policies that could be implemented in all regional municipal councils.