Azhatta dump site emission: Endangering lives of over five communities

Hassan now moves his family from the bedroom to sleep at the sitting room every night because it is more spacious than the rooms and will allow easy circulation of the dark smoke to ease their pains.For Hassan who has been on persistent coughing for over three months and his family, this life threatening experience […]

Hassan now moves his family from the bedroom to sleep at the sitting room every night because it is more spacious than the rooms and will allow easy circulation of the dark smoke to ease their pains.
For Hassan who has been on persistent coughing for over three months and his family, this life threatening experience is no longer easy to cope with as staying in the compound especially in the evening to do any chore is impossible because of the effect of the dark smoke and attendant health challenges poses by the smoke to them.
The Azhatta dump site is located few kilometers away from the highway behind NNPC filling station in Kurudu a suburb of Abuja. This large dump site has been there for many years before the development of the area though it was supposed to serve as waste treatment plant according to the information gathered. Due to the inability of government to erect the waste treatment plant, scavengers and labourers have taken advantage of the vast land to erect batchers where they rest in the course of sorting recyclable materials.
Ezekiel Ojo, the Executive Director of Shelter Origin (consultant of Habitat for Humanity Estate) speaking to Daily Trust said they met the refuse dump there many years ago and decided to continue to live with the smell that oozed out from the site even though it was not pleasant to the health of human being.
He said the problem was aggravated last year when the scavengers processing the refuse dump started burning tyres. They bring in waste tyres from the cities and burn them day and night and the thick emission carbon monoxide from the burning released into the atmosphere will fill the estate and also go beyond the estate.
“Even though we are about 100km away  from the refuse dump, we are the immediate neighbour of the refuse dump and these has constituted a serious health hazard to the  people in the estate but more than that the neighbouring communities too and you see things are happening here, people are dying and we don’t know the source,” he added.
It was gathered that the emission from the site goes directly to Azhatta, Kurudu, Jikwoyi and as far as Loyola Jesuit College, Kpeyegi, Anka, and Gidan Mangoro
An aggrieved house owner in the Estate who doesn’t want his name mention lamented over the emission from the dump site which has resulted to permanent closing of his windows and doors and had also stopped him from having a well deserved sleep at nights.
He added that he always feel heavy pains around his chest as a result of inhaling the smoke and also that he can only stay in his house if the air conditioning system is on as it helps him contain the smokes that penetrates in.  
Another aggrieved resident, Babatunde Hassan said the actions of the scavengers has constituted a major health hazard on them [residents] and some are falling sick because they are breathing excessive smoke from the dumb site.
“The common observation here is that most of us have cough, I have very dry cough in my throat and it has been persistent for three months and I was wondering what is happening to me until the doctor confirm that it has to do with what I inhale,”
However, Hassan noted that residences and refuse dumps don’t go together and wonders why the plan of the building was approved next to refuse dump site without considering if it is health compliance.
He added that despite the danger of the emission from the site, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has not been able to take any step even for the fact that  burning itself it’s a form of pollution which they are supposed to contained, disallowed and penalize people who burn openly.
“We are appealing strongly because what is done is done, we cannot say you that build houses next to refuse dump should removed the house and so we ask them [AEPB] to come either relocate the dump or to contain the burning and the stench that comes from there during rainy season,” Hassan stressed.
The open burning of these hazardous wastes at the site, according to an expert, poses grave danger to the environment as well as the health of the residents.
It could be recalled that Dr Ojo Adegoke, an environmental consultant who spoke to Daily Trust earlier on the implication of opening burning said that exposure of Nigerians to such dangerous gases may have great implication on their health.
“Nigeria is party to a lot of international protocols that prohibit the burning of such materials which have adverse effect on the environment and health of people, it is regrettable that in Abuja, this kind of activity is taking place and nothing has been done about it,” he added.
It was gathered that when the residents could no longer cope with this life threatening situation they decided to make some moves to see that the problem is addressed. According to Ojo they took the first step by going to the refuse dump and appealing to the scavengers  burning the tyres to stop the burning especially at nights, but the effort failed.
He added that the residents individually went to speak to the AEPB to assist them to contain the situation or relocate the site but nothing has been done to that effect.
“Of recent when the issue was becoming too alarming and people are having health problem in the estate, asthma patients are having crisis and people are unable to sleep in the night because the smoke which is usually heavy at nights we decided to write letters to the concerned authorities,” he stressed.
He said the letters which was routed through the Chief of Karu, the grand chief to all the chiefs from Karu to Karshi was titled “Dying in silence! Please save our souls!! Request for Refuse relocation” and signed by district heads of all the communities affected. The district heads of Jikwoyi, Kpeyegi, Gidan Mangoro Azhatta, Anka, Kurudu and the Executive Director of Shelter Origins were all signatory to the letter written on 11th February, 2014 and submitted to the Director of AEPB, Minister of States for FCT, AMAC Chairman, Director of Urban and Regional planning for FCT to look into the plight of the people, but nothing has been done in that effect.
The Director of AEPB Aisha Adebayo in response to the issue said the Azhatta dump site presently serves as the only site for the waste collected from the cities because they are fixing the Goza dump site.  
She acknowledge the fact that she had received the letter and aware of the information that the scavengers are burning tyres at the dump site too.
Adebayo said “The burning is wrong and I have asked my people to abate it on no condition should the scavenger in the name of collecting recyclables informally, constitute a nuisance to the people living in the neighbourhood, they are not to oppress people in any way,” she said.
“Though the estates came to meet the dumpsite there, but for city management, a location is needed for treatment of waste. The area of the site used to be an out sketch of town but development now has come to meet it, but I will make sure the place is better managed,” she stressed.
The Azhatta dump site will remain a dumb site for now but will be turned into a waste transfer station, though it may take sometimes because at the moment they are building three in the cities so they will have to complete it before embarking on the ones at the out sketch.
She added that the scavengers who are coming there to pick some recyclables are helping in reducing the waste and generating employment for themselves and as a result she don’t want to stop them for now but when the waste transfer station is ready they will be integrated for waste sorting but not to constitute nuisance by burning tyres.
Commenting on the request of relocation, she said relocating the dumpsite is not possible for now because there is no spare land around those axis but when it is converted to a waste transfer station in the nearest future, it will not in any way affect the communities negatively.
“I have told my officers to make sure they stop the open burning and  am assuring the communities that the place will be better managed, I will see to it and also visit the place to make sure it is better managed and to make sure that people that are staying there are comfortable,” she said.