EDITOR’S PICK:
EKO HOT BLOG reports that residents of Lagos have expressed regret at the recurrence of trash piles on the city’s main thoroughfares and marketplaces.
They bemoaned the state Waste Management Authority’s (LAWMA) practice of leaving trash unattended for weeks, particularly at markets.
They claim that the growing trash frequently clogs streams and drains, preventing rainwater from draining freely.
As a result, some locals and business owners have started to dump their trash into sewers.
Residents on the mainland and the Island are concerned about the mountains of trash lining major thoroughfares and intersections.
There are concerns with LAWMA sweepers as well, who are frequently observed cleaning major highways without trash cans or trucks to transport the trash.
The cops frequently leave trash and sand by the roadside or inside canals after sweeping.
Over the weekend, portions of the city were visited, and it was found that locals have decided to burn their trash or throw it in waterways whenever it rains.
Residents claim that since LAWMA-hired PSP workers no longer clean up trash from local streets, they now dump their junk on major roadways at midnight.
It was found that a section of the road had been permanently changed into a dumpsite in the Mushin and Oshodi markets.
A Mushin resident named Kamoru Isaq reported that mini-trucks pulling sweepers were present earlier but have since vanished.
A market vendor named Tunde Akinniyi expressed displeasure because nearby residents dumped their trash at midnight.
Onyeka Igwe, secretary of Ladipo Auto-Spare Parts International Market, commented on the mountains of trash strewn throughout the marketplace, saying that they were made aware that LAWMA is having difficulties disposing of trash at disposal sites.
“We have a technique to stop the traders in their tracks and stop people from throwing their trash into the canal.
“When the bin collectors in Ladipo are filled up, our people will start dropping waste beside it, and we have security around the canal axis to make sure that our people don’t put the waste inside the canal.
“At Ladipo market we take environmental sanitation seriously and if anyone is caught breaking the environmental sanitation rules, he or she will be penalised,” he added.
A commercial tricyclist plying the Toyota-Ilasa route, Peter Etim, lamented that most bin collectors on the roads are overfilled with refuse.
He alleged some cart pushers operating along that axis also dump refuse on the road.
Also, Dimeji Joseph, who lives off Osolo way, along with the Aswani market Isolo, said the government should overhaul its old system of refuse collection and disposal.
“To get things back to normal, the old system should be overhauled. LAWMA should evacuate on time. Proper orientation should be done also for the citizens,” he said.
Reacting, Chairman of Lagos PSP operators, David Oluwasegun Oriyomi, identified some challenges, which he said are impeding their operations.
According to him, accessibility to the dumpsites is a major challenge for operators.
He said: “During the rainy season, we usually have problems with access to the dump sites. We are encountering queues on the sites.
“There will definitely be refused on the streets because a truck that is supposed to go two trips in a day is unable to do so in two days, whereas, it shouldn’t take a truck more than 20 minutes to discharge its contents.
So, the spillover effect is what we are having. Except there is drastic action at the dump sites to ensure that operators are able to dump their waste on time, it will continue.
“ We have complained to LAWMA about it and they are doing something about it. We hope it will be rectified.”
FURTHER READING
But a LAWMA official, who spoke on the situation, noted that the inability of PSP operators to reach Lagos households has affected the large volume of refuse on the streets and roads.
The official, who also complained that the high cost of diesel is affecting the easy evacuation of refuse, especially on roads and markets, promised that the agency is working hard to solve the problem, and Lagosians will breathe a sigh of relief in the coming days.
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