Illegal refuse dumps resurface in Abia

Daily Trust correspondent who monitored the exercise in the state observed that youths who were expected to play an active role in the cleaning of their environment were busy playing football while the exercise lasted.However, when sanitation officers confronted the defaulters, they complained that the state government was only interested in the collection of sanitation […]

Daily Trust correspondent who monitored the exercise in the state observed that youths who were expected to play an active role in the cleaning of their environment were busy playing football while the exercise lasted.
However, when sanitation officers confronted the defaulters, they complained that the state government was only interested in the collection of sanitation levies from them and fail to evacuate “ASEPA Bucket” at designated places promptly in the state.
Chinwoke Oriaku, a trader at the popular Isi-gate market, noted that, “We the traders at the Isi-gate Market are not comfortable with the performance of officials of Abia State Environmental Agency, they are only interested in extorting money from us but fail woefully to carry out their statutory function of ensuring that the agency’s buckets situated at various strategic points in the state are removed promptly.
“We have written to the General Manager of ASEPA, Mr. Ikechukwu Apugo, but till now no response from him. In fact we are planning to march to Umuahia Government House for this lack of performance,” Oriaku added.
It could be recalled that on several occasions during the sanitation exercise, some traders engaged in commercial activities at the Umuahia Main Market. They gave the excuse of inadequate publicity for the exercise when arrested, or ASEPA failure to provide trucks to evacuate filth collected from the drains.
A petty trader said, “You could notice that commercial activities are on top gear in this market because we don’t have any information that the exercise is going to hold, you could equally observe women displaying their wares. The state government, through the relevant agency must step up campaigns so as to make residents pro-active in the exercise. It is not when the exercise is billed for tomorrow that they will hurriedly make snap announcement on radio stations.  The market leaders are not informed to mobilize their members to partake in the sanitation exercise,” she said
Daily Trust further observed that across the streets in Umuahia, the state capital, filth collected from the gutter under the government drainage diluting exercise were abandoned therefore making a mockery of the exercise in the state.
In an interview with this reporter, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Environment,  Elder Bernard  Ogbonna noted that the diluting exercise initiated by the state government   as well as the environment Marshal team is aimed at removing stalls with attachments that block drain system  as well as ensure the free – flow of water.
According to him, concerted efforts are been made to ensure that these dirts are removed after been scooped out from the drains. He regretted that many residents of the state are fond of disposing their refuse at the drains thereby blocking water channel.
The Permanent Secretary however warned that if the trend is not checked it could cause perennial flooding in the state.
 A lot of the waste in the “ASEPA bucket” take the form of refuse, garbage and sludge. Thus many environmentalists and health workers appeared to be worried over the manner residents dispose of their waste in the state capital warning that if the trend persists possible epidemic may envelope the capital city, they argued.  
The generation rate of solid waste in Umuahia and environs has increased in the face of lack of efficient refuse management system from Ministry of Environment in the state despite the government’s gesture of making providing refuse truck to the ASEPA  to stem the tide of illegal refuse dump sites in the state.
An environmentalist who  pleaded anonymity said that they are worried over the poor sanitary condition at Aba, the commercial nerve of the state.
Similarly, a businessman, Joseph Nwoke, said residents disposed their wastes on the streets as well as drains because “the city is already dirty. It is the duty of the state government to clean the state. I know if these wastes are not cleared away it could cause malaria, typhoid, cholera and other diseases but I pray that this does not occur,” he warned.
 The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ugochukwu Emezue, explained that the Abia State government is fashioning out plans towards solving the environmental challenges witnessed in the state particularly in Aba.