Ikorodu residents appeal to LASG on waste evacuation

Tue, Feb 20, 2018 | By publisher


Environment

TWO communities in Ikorodu have appealed to the Lagos State Government to improve its waste evacuation mechanism in the area to enhance a healthy and clean environment.

The residents of Erunwen and Radio Community, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), decried the heap of refuse that had not been evacuated in the area, describing it as a “eyesore’’.

They complained that the Private Sector Participation (PSP) operator in charge of the area had increased the service charge for evacuating the waste of each building, in spite of its poor service delivery.

Mrs Olubunmi Olabanji, a caterer, complained that the PSP operator reduced the weekly evacuation of waste to once a month since last year causing the refuse to spill over to the entrances of most houses.

“We usually place our waste in a drum, but now we have to supplement it with two sacks or more because of the quantum of waste used by the two apartments in the building before the PSP operator comes.

“Before, we were paying N400 as service charge for waste evacuation and they come weekly, but now it has been increased to N700, monthly, which we see as exploitation,” she said.

Mrs Taibat Anifowoshe, a retiree, said the situation had led to rat infestation in the area and made some residents to be afraid of impending outbreak of diseases.

“It is a known fact that rats breed in dirty environment but one of my neighbours believes that it is a spiritual attack to prevent her progress.

“Every night, we hear her praying, sprinkling her compound with water she brought from the holy mountain and cursing every human being that turned into rats to disturb her peace and progress.

“Rats disturb most households in the area; they scurry from room to room and go as far as moving on roofs, the noise is disturbing, but I do not ascribe it to spiritual attack.

“Because I know that there are overfilled dustbins everywhere. Our appeal is that government should improve on the waste management in the area so that we can have mental peace and healthy environment,” she said.

Mr Gboyega Adesina, a businessman said the issue of rats would not be a concern for residents, if there was prompt evacuation of waste in the area, adding that he had resorted to using cats to reduce the number of rats in his house.

“Initially, I fumigated the house because I was scared of my family having Lassa Fever from infected rats but after few weeks, the rats returned, I had no choice but to buy three cats in the house to scare the rats away,” he said.

Mr Anthony Elubode, Operations Manager, Samelu Enterprise, the PSP operator in charge of the area, said the service charge was reviewed because the Lagos State Government had stopped the subsidy it paid on waste evacuation.

He said reducing the evacuation of waste to once a month was because the quantum of waste generated in Ikorodu had increased, adding that many residents dumped their refuse by the roadside.

“We have to pack all the refuse we see littering the road and these are some of the issues hindering our operation,” he said.

Elubode said evacuation of residential waste stopped in February, adding that the government had made alternative that would focus on residential areas while PSP operators handled commercial areas. (NAN)

– Feb.  20, 2018 @ 13:19 GMT |

Tags: