Bird threat to planes stalls fresh plan to relocate dumpsite

A fresh bid by the Nairobi County Government to relocate the Dandora dumpsite has hit a snag, with stakeholders in the aviation industry having ruled out the two selected sites over safety concerns for arriving and departing aircraft.

Industry players say dumpsites attract scavenger birds, which are a safety threat because they collide with aircraft leading to crashes or huge financial losses.

International aviation safety standards require that dumpsites and landfills must not be located within a radius of 13 km of an airport.

The city administration had settled on either Ruai or Mavoko as possible sites for setting up of sanitary landfills, in an ambitious project to be funded by the Japanese government for between Sh2 billion and Sh3 billion.

Aviation industry regulators have, however, blacklisted Ruai saying it falls on the flight path of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and within the set radius of all airports in Nairobi. They say garbage would attract birds and increase chances of incidents during takeoff or landing.

The county then opted for the Mavoko land which was originally bought for a cemetery at a cost of Sh283 million, but which proved not fit for the purpose. This, too, was ruled out because of its proximity to JKIA.

“Ruai and Mavoko are out of question,” said Mr Mutia Mwandikwa, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) corporate communications manager. KCAA is responsible for regulating the aviation industry in Kenya by ensuring all safety standards are adhered to.

Mr Mwandikwa says that with the location of JKIA and Wilson, birds from the National Park will be overflying the two airports to scavenge for food in the dumpsites. Kenya Airports Authority wildlife control section head George Amutete says JKIA experiences four bird strikes for every 10,000 flights.

Bird strikes happen when birds collide with airborne planes. They are known to bring down even the large planes when the birds block air from flowing into the engine.

“In case of a collision with a bird while flying, the pilot is advised to shed off fuel before landing. Imagine what could happen if you pour fuel on people’s houses because you have hit a bird,” said Mr Amutete.

In 2007, it took the expertise of a Kenya Airways pilot to safely land after the aircraft hit a Marabou Stork while taking off at JKIA. The bird damaged the engine extensively costing the airline Sh425 million ($5 million) to repair, according to the director of flight operations at KQ, Mr Paul Mwangi.

In total, KQ used Sh600 million to repair planes damaged by bird strikes in 2007 alone. Mr Mwangi, who has flown for over 30 years, says even with the current location of the Dandora dumpsite, pilots are forced to evade the scavenger birds during takeoff.

“The first 10,000 metres from the ground belong to the birds, so we are intruding and we are forced to take extra caution. This we do by taking off with full lights on to scare the birds away,” he said.

Damage engine

He said with a plane moving at 500 km per hour, slight contact with a bird can send the aircraft tumbling to the ground or completely damage the engine.

“During takeoff the engine is at full thrust and even the slightest disruption can cause power failure,” said Mr Mwangi.

The pilot said that although the airlines are insured, they are forced to replace the engines themselves and make a claim later to avoid losses stemming from grounding the damaged planes.

Mr Mwangi said the engine of a 777 costs up to Sh1.7 billion ($20 million) while that of a 737 goes for Sh850 million ($10 million).

“If you think about the risk to the passengers, then you get a clear picture why we would want the birds as far away as possible from airports,” he said.

Asked why the airport authorities do not poison birds, Mr Amutete said Kenya has 1,080 bird species and only four are not protected against poisoning by international laws.

He said they were also in talks with the Kisumu County Government which is setting up a landfill.

His department is tasked with ensuring wild animals do not interfere with planes. He said his officers check the runways every half an hour. He said a high frequency of bird strikes can lead to a ban on an airport and scare away international flight firms.

s and hence the need to ensure Kenya remains a regional travelling hub by guaranteeing air safety.

But according to Leah Oyake, the director of environment at the Nairobi City County, the concerns by the aviation industry would be addressed by the technology that would be employed in the setting up of the landfills.

“We are not going to witness a replica of Dandora dumpsite; we are setting up a sanitary landfill which will be water tight,” said Ms Oyake.

She said despite demonstrating the technology to regulators, they have refused to allow the project.

“We are employing the intended technology in part of Dandora dumpsite to exhibit to them how watertight it will be, hoping they can give the project a go ahead,” said Ms Oyake.

But Mr Mwandikwa says the technology cannot be foolproof as some bits of the waste could fall off the landfill, especially during transportation.