Implementation of the directive of Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo putting an end to collective dumping of refuse at designated points has commenced in Awka, the State capital.
Our Correspondent on Wednesday visited some major dumpsites in the capital and reports that the initial huge heaps at the sites have been evacuated.
Signposts have also been mounted, with police order, warning residents to desist from dumping refuse at the points henceforth or incur a fine of N20,000.
Among the places visited were the dumpsites at Alex Ekwueme square, Awka, Y-Junction, Okpuno, Juhel junction, Awka, Ngozika Estate, Queens suite, Awka, Geneva Junction, Okpuno, back of CBN, Awka among others.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Chief Executive Officer of Dallason Investment Nigeria Limited, the Waste Evacuation Contracting firm handling the area, Chukwunonso Dim said they had commenced the evacuation of all the wastes since last week.
According to him, the exercise is in compliance with the directive given to them by the governor to make the city clean and habitable and to manage waste evacuation in the best way possible.
He said henceforth, residents are expected to drop their well-sorted wastes in front of their buildings for them to evacuate, urging residents to comply with the government directive.
“The next step is to commence house-to-house evacuation of the wastes.
“Under this arrangement, residents are expected to sort their wastes properly and bring them out in front of their buildings from where our men and equipment will come to take them away.
“I am confident that this initiative will do away with all the challenges the state has been having with waste management and instil the habit of proper waste evacuation in the citizens,” he enthused.
Dim expressed satisfaction with the level of support his company has enjoyed from the residents and commended Governor Soludo for evolving such a wonderful and practiceable solution to the waste problems in the state.
A resident near the dumpsite, Ngozi Oduma commended the initiative by government, saying removing the dumpsite will save them from the health hazards they are exposed to due to the collective dumping.
“Our joys know no bounds because the governor has remembered us.
“This is what we call leadership and what we have missed for a very long time.
“We also wish to commend the contractor for his efforts at consulting with residents to have a buy-in into this initiative and now he is working.
“With this, we will say bye-bye to all the diseases we suffer from the unhealthy odour that oozes out from wastes that have stayed for months without evacuation at this dumpsite,” she said.
However, a business operator around the area, Ifeanyi Agbai expressed concerns over how often the waste evacuator would be coming to pick up the wastes so that they do not constitute health problems for people.
According to him, if the evacuation is not consistent, the situation may be worse than it was before.
“When we bring out our wastes every morning or at night, there are these scavengers that scatter the bags with which we packaged the waste in search of whatever.
“And if the evacuators do not come often, the waste can scatter all over the place and cause dirty environment,” he feared.
Agbai however agreed that if properly managed and executed, the arrangement has the answer to the lingering waste problems in the state.
“There is no doubt that this will be the best solution if well executed and monitored.
“Back then when we were young, this was the practice and it worked,” he noted.
