Enugu State Government says it is working seriously to evacuate accumulated waste across the state capital to keep the state clean and safe for people.
Mr Peter Ajah, Secretary to the Enugu State Waste Evacuation Committee, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Enugu, reacting to an allegation of non-evacuation of waste.
Residents of Enugu had expressed worries over the non evacuation of waste in the state capital, saying the heaps of refuse posed great danger to people’s health.
Ajah said the heaps of waste at different dump stands in the state capital were due to challenges faced by contractors in evacuating them.
These challenges, he said, included high cost of diesel, vehicle maintenance and wages to contractor’s staff, stressing that Gov. Ugwuanyi had looked into their predicament and approved undisclosed amount for them.
According to him, the population of people living in the state has increased, resulting to increase in rate of refuse.
“The rate of waste coming out now is not the way it used to be, by the time they evacuate waste, next hour, people will litter the whole place again.
“People, who do not know, may think that the refuse have not been removed.
“We have made a presentation to the State House of Assembly on Waste Evacuation Timing to prevent residents from littering the state,” he said.
He added that most of the waste seen in some parts of the state capital was a result of illegal dump sites created by people.
The secretary noted that most of the contractors had been relieved of their job due to poor attitude to work, adding that they were working hard to return the state to its cleanness standard.
“The state governor has given marching order to ensure that the state is kept clean at all times.
“We have replaced old dump stand with new ones and more money has been pumped into the system. Evacuation of waste has improved as well.
“The government unbundled evacuation job from the ESWMA for efficiency and now it is yielding results.
“Enugu State is not dirty like most states in Nigeria; we acknowledged little setback but that does not mean the state is dirty.
“In 2021, the state was rated the cleanest in Nigeria,” he said
The residents also appealed to the state government to do something urgently to ensure prompt evacuation of waste in Enugu as it could lead to flood and outbreak of diseases.
The residents stated that few weeks ago, flood took over Ogui Junction in Enugu, making it impossible for motorists to access the road due to waste that blocked the waterways.
According to them, the story is same at Gariki, Mayor, Amokwe, Mbanugo, Enugu correctional Service, Abakpa, Nike and other areas within the city as the refuse heaps were an eyesore.
Speaking to NAN, a resident, Mr Alex Uzochi said the people responsible to pack refuse, most times left it for weeks before removing, making the environment unhealthy for the resident.
Uzochi observed that people packing the waste usually allowed it fall from the tipper and litter the roads, urging them to cover the vehicle when evacuating them.
“Most times, they allow it to litter on the roads which sometimes causes traffic in the city.
“When Enugu State Waste Management Agency (ESWAMA) was in-charge, the state used to be clean as there was continuous evacuation of waste,” he said.
He, however, appealed to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to look into the situation or return the job of evacuating refuse to ESWAMA.
A Health Officer, Mrs Ngozi Enechukwu, said the heap of refuse in Enugu was dangerous to human health, especially during the rainy season.
Enechukwu said refuse if beaten by rain, could breed mosquitoes that caused malaria and typhoid as well as other infections.
“The government should do something to promote healthy living in the state,” she advised.
(NAN)
