Berger Roundabout of waste, open defecation

Berger Roundabout is among the popular junctions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which links other places in the capital city. From there commuters from satellite towns like Kubwa, Suleja, Gwagwa, Mararaba-Nyanya, Lugbe and several others find their way to different parts of the city. It is also a major terminal for commuters boarding  high […]

Berger Roundabout is among the popular junctions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which links other places in the capital city. From there commuters from satellite towns like Kubwa, Suleja, Gwagwa, Mararaba-Nyanya, Lugbe and several others find their way to different parts of the city.

It is also a major terminal for commuters boarding  high capacity buses thereby making it a beehive of activities especially during rush hours.d

Aso Chronicle observed that despite the efforts of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) the roundabout is still with dirt while the garden near the bus stop has turned into a field where pedestrians and commuters openly defecate unchallenged while AEPB officials are few metres away.

The bus stop according to pedestrians that spoke to Aso Chronicle is not only unpleasant to the eyes but also to the nose as they had to endure the offensive stench that reeks while they pass on the walkway.

Some residents said the garden beside the bus stop, partially used as a motor park by motorists plying Kubwa and Dei Dei axis also contributed to the problem.

Our reporter who has been following events at the roundabout for about two weeks observed that one or two women are sometimes seen at the roundabout to pick up litters. Such efforts are hardly enough as wastes are usually generated even before  the women leave the roundabout.

On Monday when our reporter was at the bus stop the two big manholes were filled to the brim with waste packed in several polythene bags.

“This could tell people, especially a visitor that the city is dirty. It is sad that some people are paid to clean this place yet it looks this way,” Romanus Isinetugo, a high capacity bus driver said.

He said government has been wasting scarce resources paying someone for a job they are not doing and regretted that such people get away with it in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said those saddled with the responsibility of cleaning the area “are not doing their work, if they are doing it, you won’t see all these things.”

Anthony David, a resident said the littered waste portrays a bad image of the territory. David who is also a high capacity bus driver said the government seems complacent about the issue while residents are subjected Continued from previous page to trading in a dirty environment. He said he can’t remember the last time, waste contractors cleaned the area.

David, who observed that the waste was generated mainly from used water sachets and wraps of biscuits, said it was increasing because of increased human activities at the popular roundabout.

He said hot weather hasn’t helped the situation as many people are forced to buy sachet water, “If they finish the water, na ground they go drop the nylon,” he said in Pidgin English.

He said the situation behooves on the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) a responsibility to ensure that the place is neat as it could be some people’s first point of call while coming to the nation’s capital.

It is however alarming that the waste at the Berger Bus Stop and the continued open defecation at the garden beside the bus stop are unabated  despite the presence of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board task force few metres away.

David alleges that all what the officials of the board situated at the garden do is chase after hawkers and beggars at the expense of the stench that oozes from the bus stop.

Romanus upheld David’s stance adding that they seem to be more interested in revenue generation than a clean environment.

David added that the few cleaners that come around at the bus stop only pick litters on the tarred road and leave out the other sections behind the bus stop , saying this is not good enough.

On his part, Joseph Ogunde said the government needs to put someone at the roundabout to check these activities.

“Waste is normal because it shows human activities,” he said and appealed to the government to find measures in ensuring that the waste is always evacuated.

Ada Janet hawks sachet water in  the area and said the hot weather has led to a surge in the number of her customers. Adding that unlike bottled water, people do not always take the sachet of the water they bought along with them.

She decried the waste piling at the back of the bus stop though she admitted that it could have been a fall out from her business activities, “but I have to feed my family,” she said adding that the business is all she does. 

Romalus said though indiscriminate dumping of waste is bad but government should ensure strict enforcement and compliance by residents.

He said a waste bin could be kept at the bus stop for residents to dump their waste adding that the government is only telling to stop dumping waste arbitrarily without providing an alternative.

A top official with AEPB who pleaded anonymity said the board has been making effort to clear the waste “that is the reason we had that office there,”  referring to a container in the garden with AEPB boldly inscribed on it.

The source said whenever such wastes are removed, it is almost immediately regenerated by residents “forgetting that the place is not a market.”

The source however said there is usually an increase in human activities and waste generation when the officials positioned at the make shift office close in the evening.

 “At the time they close people will dump waste there,” the source said adding that roving teams take over from the stationed official and such team due to the ground they need to cover do not stay at the same spot. 

Regarding open defecation; the source said anybody caught in the act would be prosecuted.

“There is a public toilet around the area and they don’t use it. It is mostly men that engage in open defecation, when women are pressed they find a convenience,” the source said.

An official with Environmental Expressions, the contractor responsible for cleaning the roundabout said it is not the company’s responsibility to clean the area that people openly defecate on. He said the portion his company was contracted to clean ends at the barricade between the bus stop and the green areas.

The official who gave his name as Thomas however said they will ensure that the bus stop remains clean, even though it is a herculean task due to the high human activities at the area.

He said people willingly dump waste inside the man holes and he evacuates it twice a week.

“It is a place that people gather and sell and where they dump waste, they take it as their dumping ground.

“It gives me headache and I have already complained to the AEPB. If we clean it, within 30 minutes it will look like it wasn’t cleaned. The bus stop is always busy and people dump waste indiscriminately,” he said.

The Director of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Omolola Olanipekun in reaction to our reporter’s enquiries directed that the roundabout be cleaned. She said she had taken necessary measures to abate the nuisance at the roundabout and that the board will stop at nothing at ensuring a cleaner environment.