
Community Watch (4)
Understandably, the community of Bole Beshale Village is fairly new; thus, there are many things with loose ends that needed the collaborative and continues efforts of its residents and community leaders to tighten.
There is the issue of relaxed checking at the gate where anyone without having a vehicle sticker can drive through to the compound. It shows the training and management of security personnel has a lot to change. No doubt there are far too many vehicles parked inside the complex which is not those of residents, whether homeowners or tenants. Some even use the compound as a free parking garage, leaving their vehicles unmoved not for days, but for weeks.
No solace can be found from the chaotic parking lot use where residents do not have a marked and designated parking space, separate from where visitors are allowed to park upon brief visits. Anyone and everyone park their cars wherever they feel like, often causing problems to the very residents who live nearby.
There are also serious problems but structural waiting to implode sooner or later. The issue of septic tanks and their discharges remain a grave concern, while the many water tanks spread, rather haphazardly, all around the apartment blocs are matters waiting for disputes and controversies. No less problematic is the way satellite dishes installed in manners devoid of planning and uniformity.
But none is as immediate and frustrating as the disposal and collection of dry waste from the community left by the temporary gate irresponsibly and hazardously. It is sad to see many in our midst with no regard for the proper use of space few meters away from their doorsteps. It seems many are residents divorced of civility but mindless in throwing their trash all around the dumping container (see photo) even days after it is full to the brink. They don`t simply mind to show their contempt and disrespect to other residents who envision a better place to live and raise a family.
The wereda employes assigned to collect the container in time are reluctant - not in any ways surprising - to do their job in ensuring it is picked up when it is full.
However, it should be up to residents not to worsen the situation and the responsibilities of community leaders and managers to stop it from escalating further. Alas!
To their credit, community leaders have prepared a designated location on the southern side of the community for collection and temporary depot of dry waste. Employees have been hired to collect garbage from each household and each bloc twice a week. Why residents continue to feel it is alright to trash the gate and cause serious health concerns to the security personnel deployed there is a baffling matter. Sadly, it only exposes a lack of unity of action by community leaders from having a resolve to stop those irresponsible from littering the very gate of a community which aspires to have a clean, green and secure neighbourhood.
Very frustrating indeed!
It may be about time to think about trash and parking police inside the community that is empowered to enforce what is codified in the article of association of the community. Yes. There exists an article of association subjecting violators to fines. Equally, community leaders are elected to ensure the bylaws of the homeowners association are enforced consistently and judiciously!
To date the Bole Beshale Community has been preoccupied with the provisions of basis infrastructure such as water and electric utility. Now these issues are largely addressed, the next immediate priority should be enforcing the city administration's codes regulating the collections and disposals of waste. Indeed, the city's enforcement services regulation, issued in 2012, imposes a penalty of 100 Birr (for households) for littering and mismanagement of solid waste, while failure to properly keep front yards subject offenders to an additional 50 Birr.
The residents who have littered the space before this bloc (in the photo) may not be aware of this regulation. But the Board of Directors should form a working group who can volunteer to carry out familiarization exercises before enforcing the code and what is agreed in the bylaws of the home owners' association.
As much is an offense of the city's code to dump solid waste in an unauthorized place or throwing sweepings to inappropriate places such as the one seen in the photo below. The dumpstere in this place has been removed since mid last week. Yet, residents are carefree to throw waste at ease despite the deployment of security personnel nearby.
It may be worthwhile to know what the city's code says on such violations. Dumping waste in an unauthorized places subject offenders to a penalty of 100 Birr, while throwing sweepings to inappropriate places imposed an additional 100 Birr.
Please, book appointments via my email azagneg@gmail.com or phone 0911-979-126 (individually or in groups) for the sensitization on household waste reduction and management and after reading the attached files.
While booking, in addition to your names, kindly indicate your House/Apartment Block numbers; contacts email/phone; and proposed timing. Targeted participants are all family members including the youth with prior authorization by their parents (outside school period or time i.e on Saturdays) as well as the domestics. Landlords may wish to encourage their tenants to participate.
Many thanks
I am writing this note after I saw something undesirable. As I was sitting by the balcony, I saw water guys dismantling the water meter next door. I asked them why? The reply was simple.
They did not pay the bill! I did not pay the bill to date. For some reason I was waiting for some kind of notification. Then I started asking around. Some have paid the bill regularly. Some never did. I was embarrassed to tell the truth. The next morning I did the needful.
I am writing this note so that somebody out there could benefit from this information - and take the needful action on time. relevant Information can save dismantling of the water meter - the consequence of which may not be desirable.
Tegegn Nuresu-Wako