18th August, 2017
Some residents of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have expressed worry over the emergence of illegal refuse dump sites in some parts of the city.
Residents of satellite towns in the FCT such as Nyanya, Karu, Jikowyi and Kurudu, who spoke with news correspondents on Friday, described the refuse dumps sites as “eyesore and worrisome’’.
Mr. Moses Aduke, a civil servant and resident of Karu said that it was an eyesore to see refuse dumped indiscriminately in various parts of the town, especially along the road.
Aduke said that considering the harmful effects of refuse on human health, the relevant authority should be up and doing to clear the towns of such refuse dumps.
“This is necessary to ensure environmental cleanliness and the well-being of the people.’’
He said that government authority kept roll-roll bins along the road for residents and some residents had not been making proper use of the bins.
“Even when they discovered that the bins are filled up, they will keep dumping wastes on the ground and some of the wastes will be falling inside the gutter.
“The environmental cleaning contractors who also are supposed to help us to evacuate the refuse at the right time are not really committed to the job.
“This is rainy season and once the refuse enters into the gutter, it will cause heavy flooding in the area, when it rains.
“It is disgusting to see that some residents don’t even care about the situation,’’ he said.
Aduke said that the refuse could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which would lead to the spread of communicable diseases.
Another resident, Mrs. Deborah Jonah, a business woman in Jikwoyi area said that refuse had taken over the gutter and not allowing water to flow.
“I wonder if anybody is thinking about the health hazards of this dirty environment in spite of the fact that the areas are public places where people visit often.
“The dump site in Karu had been taken over the road by refuse, each time it rains in the area; the road will be blocked with flood and that will cause heavy traffic along the road,’’ he said.
Jonah also blamed the waste contractors in charge of the areas and called them to be evacuating the refuse at least four times in one week.
Jonah said that the residents were not helping the work of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) by ensuring that the environment was clean and healthy.
“AEPB is trying, at least I see them around evacuating the refuse from time to time but the residents are not helping matters,’’ she said.
Responding to the development, Mr. Murktar Ibrahim, the Head of AEPB’s Information and Outreach Unit, said the dump site in Karu was illegal, adding that the board would begin to take action on the situation.
Ibrahim said that the board had intervened severally by ensuring that the area was clean but the residents were not cooperating with the board.
He said that the board had engaged cleaning contractors to ensure that refuse was effectively evacuated in various communities in the FCT.
He said that the contractors reported that the residents, instead of dumping the refuse into the bins provided to them by the board, they would prefer throwing the refuse inside the gutter.
“The attitude of some residents towards our environment needs to be changed; they should imbibe the culture of cleanliness so that we can achieve a clean and healthier environment.
“The efforts will also help to prevent an outbreak of diseases and other health hazards in the city,’’ he said.