Trucks donation by the Japanese government. (Photo: JCC).

The Juba City Council says it has connected garbage collection trucks operating in the city to a GPS tracking system to prevent drivers from diverting vehicles from assigned routes to unauthorized locations.

The Deputy Mayor for Environment and Waste Management, Stephen Lomude Martin, said the practice previously contributed to waste accumulation in several residential and commercial areas. He said the system has improved monitoring and efficiency.

He said some vehicles were previously leaving designated routes without authorization, leading to uncollected garbage in key parts of the city.

He also said fuel management and accountability among drivers have improved following the introduction of the tracking system.

Stephen Lomude Martin said, “We have discovered that these vehicles, when sent to their designated route and plan, sometimes end up diverting from that plan, which is not known by the leadership. This caused garbage from residential and business areas not to be taken.”

He said fuel consumption has dropped from about 1,600 litres per day to 1,200 litres, saving around 400 litres daily. He said some drivers found involved in fuel misuse have been dismissed.

He said, “After fixing the trackers, we have seen big changes in fuel consumption. Some drivers involved in fuel leakage were immediately fired. We used to consume 1,600 litres per day; now it has come down to 1,200 litres.”

He said the council has saved about 5 million South Sudanese Pounds through improved fuel efficiency and tighter operational control.

He said, “Roughly, we have saved about 5 million SSP after fixing the trackers.”

More than 50 trucks are currently deployed across Juba for daily waste collection and disposal operations.