The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) said on Wednesday that it would sanction operators of waste disposal trucks who failed to keep their vehicles clean and constantly disinfected.
Mr Muktar Ibrahim, AEPB Head of Information and Outreach Unit disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Ibrahim said the Board was concerned about the condition of waste disposal trucks being operated by its waste contractors.
“Apart from some of the vehicles being quite filthy and therefore dangerous to health, many of the trucks leave very terrible stench behind and this also pose great health hazards.
“This, therefore, places great obligation on AEPB to ensure that all vehicles used in waste disposal are not only kept clean but are also constantly disinfected,’’ he said.
To tackle the problem, Ibrahim said that the Board has provided a wash bay which must be mandatorily used by the contractors for cleaning their disposal trucks.
He said the wash bay would not only help to keep waste vehicles clean through constant washing, but ensure that the vehicles are free from harmful bacteria.
“The wash bay will be open from 6a.m. and 6p.m. daily and the contractors are duly invited to start making steady use of the facility for a sum to be agreed.
“The board wants the contractors to know the importance of constant cleanliness of their trucks.
“Therefore to achieve the purpose for which the wash bay was established, it was concluded by the board that a weekly manifest of vehicles using the facility will be kept.
“This is to enable fair compilation of the list of defaulting companies for appropriate sanctions,’’ he said.
Ibrahim advised the contractors to ensure that their vehicles as well as the environment were kept clean adding that it was part of the board`s contract agreement with the contractors. (NAN)
