A city in full growth, a city in decline in sanitation

Kinshasa is experiencing rapid, often unplanned, population growth, generating over 7,000 tons of solid waste every day. According to the WHO and the World Bank, only 10 to 20% of this waste is actually collected by municipal services. Without recycling, without adequate infrastructure, and with the proliferation of illegal dumps, garbage accumulates in the streets, markets, gutters, and even in rivers. It's an environmental and health time bomb.

Direct health consequences

Infectious diseases: The accumulation of waste promotes the proliferation of rats, flies and mosquitoes, which are veritable vectors of serious diseases.

·        Cholera: soiled puddles become an ideal breeding ground for Vibrio cholerae.

·        Typhoid and dysentery: contamination of food and water causes regular outbreaks.

·        GastroenteritisThey are particularly common in children and can lead to episodes of dehydration that are sometimes fatal.

With the rainy season, the risk increases: garbage and wastewater mix, transforming neighborhoods into breeding grounds for the spread of epidemics.

Respiratory diseases:unbreathable air

In many neighborhoods, piles of garbage are often burned in the open air. This practice releases thick smoke, saturated with fine particles and harmful chemicals. The air quickly becomes unbreathable. Doctors are sounding the alarm: cases of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and acute respiratory infections are multiplying, while patients already suffering from heart or lung disease are seeing their condition worsen. The most vulnerable remain children, the elderly, and all families living in the immediate vicinity of these dumps.

Maternal and child health:the most vulnerable on the front line

In working-class neighborhoods, it's not uncommon to see children playing in the immediate vicinity of garbage heaps. This seemingly ordinary sight masks a real health hazard. Pregnant women are not spared: specialists warn of an increased risk of miscarriage, fetal growth restriction, and premature birth. It's a dangerous combination for already fragile maternal and infant health. Cholera, for example, is showing an upward trend in Kinshasa.

Public health issues and structural challenges

This crisis reveals deep structural weaknesses:

·        Lack of an integrated municipal waste management plan;

·        Chronic lack of funding and qualified staff;

·        A glaring lack of public awareness;

·        Insufficient coordination between health, municipal and environmental authorities.

Possible solutions:to get Kinshasa out of its suffocation

The Head of State had just appointed new managers to Kinshasa's sanitation authority (Raskin). This authority organizes nighttime waste collection at major intersections. Its impact on the ground remains limited, even though it has an environmental police unit. The city of Kinshasa has also partnered with a Turkish environmental consulting firm. The fight against waste also relies on citizen mobilization: hygiene campaigns, community involvement, and empowering neighborhoods. On the institutional side, strengthening the legal framework and controls—particularly for industrial and hospital waste—is essential. Some even propose the creation of an urban environmental health observatory to monitor the impact of unsanitary conditions in real time. The conclusion is clear: if nothing is done, Kinshasa will remain trapped in a vicious cycle where waste fuels preventable diseases. Investing in sustainable waste management means protecting public health, strengthening urban resilience and offering future generations the hope of a cleaner, more breathable and livable capital.