Cleaning operations are multiplying in the capital, but civic responsibility continues to lag. In streets and canals alike, waste keeps accumulating even as teams work to remove it. On the ground, the reality is clear: plastic bags in water, litter around collection points, and debris scattered on the ground. In some places, bins are available.
The Urban Municipality of Antananarivo (CUA) has mobilized teams to clean the city. Agents are working particularly in canals, where they must remove accumulated waste. This situation raises questions about citizen behavior and the role of civic responsibility in keeping the capital clean.
"Whatever actions we take to clean the city, civic responsibility comes from each individual," emphasizes a sociologist interviewed for this report. This reality is visible on the ground, where some residents continue throwing waste in inappropriate places. In a canal, an agent is encountered while performing cleanup work in polluted water amid various types of debris. "We work in dirty water. We are human beings like everyone else. A lot of filth passes through here," he testifies.
The waste he removes is not always easy to process. "We find all sorts of waste here and most are difficult to decompose," he continues. Plastic bags are among the most visible debris in the water. Lack of civic responsibility is also evident around bins. Business waste, soil, fill, branches, and large cardboard boxes are deposited in communal bins meant for household waste. Medical waste is also found there, though it requires specific treatment procedures.
According to Tantely Ranoelijaona, general director of the Municipal Sanitation Company (SMA), 23 to 25 trucks work daily on waste collection. The city has 246 collection points and 260 bins. Some 370 agents are directly mobilized in collection and maintenance. Non-compliance with deposit schedules and parking around collection points also complicate team operations. Lack of space for new bins and non-payment of taxes constitute additional challenges.
Fanilo Mampianintsoa