Looming epidemic: 300 corps members storm street to evacuate heaps of refuse
Residents of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, are presently alarmed at the growing heaps of refuse at strategic locations in the metropolis. In fact, there has been fear that an epidemic could break out on account of this, a reason for which last saturday, corps members numbering over 300 stormed Goddy Ogbaga Avenue, Abakaliki to evacuate refuse from different dump sites there.
The corps members assisted the Ebonyi State Environmental Protection Agency, EBSEPA in the cleaning and disposal of refuse within the environment.
They anchored their decision to get involved in this manner on the imperative that a clean environment is necessary for healthy living, adding that such obligation was part of their services to the state and humanity at large.
In a remark, the State Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Mrs. Nwatarali Ngozi Dorothy, pointed out that corps members posted to the state were well behaved and that their participation in the exercise was a reflection of their strong desire and will to leave the State better than they met it.
The general feeling in the state is that the alarming refuse situation in Abakaliki demands that more non-government organisations, NGOs and private individuals should embark on cleaning up the state capital since government has not been able to do so.
Particularly disturbing is the fact that the rapidly increasing heaps of refuse have started decomposing at their various locations, prompting residents to express fear of a possible outbreak of an epidemic if realistic steps are not taken to speedily evacuate them from residential areas in the State.
The situation is made worse by the rain which has been falling rather steadily in recent time, and in the process hastening the decomposition of the refuse.
What most visitors find rather disgusting is the way refuse seem to have taken over every available space, including spaces between electric poles along the dual carriage ways of major streets in Abakaliki.
This development which do not promote aesthetic value and cleanliness, has been blamed on the claim that Ebonyi is the only state in the South East where residents are advised to drop their refuse by electricity poles for possible collection by EBSEPA.
Driving through the streets of Abakaliki, one is often assaulted by the stench emanating from these decaying wastes which are now creeping into internal roads within the metropolis. To make matters worse, more often than not, refuse disposal vehicles end up ‘dispersing’ waste materials on the the road, with some falling on the windscreens of other vehicles.
Vanguard Metro, VM, noted that refuse is also threatening to take over Nkaliiki road leading to the State House of Assembly where laws are made for the State .
Apprehensive residents are presently calling on government to take urgent steps to address the situation, thereby averting the outbreak of a strange disease such Ebola.
They complained that the present refuse threat was unprecedented and blamed the State Ministry of Environment for failing to come up with a workable process to evacuate the heaps of refuse from residential areas.
VM observes that the Task Force on Environmental Sanitation usually arrests over 50 persons on the average for violating sanitation laws in the State every month.
But despite the law against illegal disposal of refuse, most residents of Abakaliki are yet to imbibe the culture of keeping their environment clean. Some residents are seen even doing physical exercises, holding church programmes, playing football and going about their private businesses among others during the state monthly exercise.
Reacting, the Commissioner for Environment, David Ogbu stated that the state government has awarded a contract worth N16 million for the cleaning of the State capital.
According to him, the metropolis has been divided into seven zones to aid effective cleanliness of the whole state even as he admitted that the task of cleaning the state was becoming overwhelming for EBSEPA.
“The State government has awarded the contract for the cleaning of the state. It is for N16 million every month. The exercise will commence on October 1, 2014”.
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