AEPB begins waste clearing operation in Karmo-Sabo, FCT
NAN-H-33
Sanitation
By Vivian Emoni
Abuja, March 25, 2017 (NAN) The Abuja Environmental Protection Board, (AEPB) on Saturday, in Abuja commenced its refuse clearing operation in Karmo-Sabo, FCT.
The operation was designed to rid the FCT of heaps of refuse across the city.
Mr Uchenna Chunde,spokesperson for the contracting firm in charge of the disposal, said it was a challenge persuading the residents to stop dumping refuse in the area .
Chunde said there was need to sensitise residents on the importance of making their own arrangement to dispose their wastes in an acceptable manner.
He, however, said the refuse evacuation in the area would be completed by Wednesday.
Earlier, Mr Muktar Ibrahim, Head, Information and Outreach Unit of the board, who represented Mrs Omolola Olanipekun, Director of the board, said that the aim of the exercise was to ensure sustainable cleanliness of the FCT.
Ibrahim also said that the clean-up of the environment was part of the designed efforts of the board to rid the territory of waste.
He explained that Mr Ashama Karmo, District Head of the community and Mr Yunisa Danteni, Principal of the Junior Secondary School, Karmo-Sabo wrote to the board recently, requesting for the clearing of the wastes.
According to the head of information, the board assessed the dumping site and decided to commence the clean-up exercise.
“We discovered that the refuse has been there for years.
“If the refuse continue increasing, it can cause environmental and health hazard, so we decided to intervene.
“We mobilised some of our cleaning contractors with their trucks, caterpillars and some of their men to ensure that the clean-up is effective and faster,’’ he said.
Ibrahim said that the board has made adequate plan to sustain the exercise adding that it also remains resolute to rid the city of all environmental waste.
He therefore urged the residents to always keep their surroundings clean by disposing their wastes properly using the waste bins supplied by the AEPB.
Speaking, Karmo, the district head of the community, who praised the board for its efforts, said that the community would ensure that the area would henceforth be free from refuse.
“We will sensitise our community members, telling them not to use the area as a dumping site any longer, we have even created two other places as dumping sites.
“We warned them that if any of the residents is found doing such, the person will not only pay a fine but must be handed over to the police for further punishment.
“We have arranged some men in the community that will be guarding the area for us, especially in the night because we discovered that people come around in the night to dump their wastes when nobody will see them’’ he said.
Also, Danteni, the principal of the school, said that the school authority and some community heads have agreed that the recovered dumping site would be used as a football pitch.
He said that the school authority had written to the Universal Basic Education Board, (UBEB) requesting for its support, adding that the request has been granted.
Mrs Angela Jonah, a resident of the community told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the refuse had become a source of worry, as such could lead to untold environmental and health hazards.
“The waste is an eye-saw, we cannot sleep well because of the terrible ordure we perceive, we are happy that government remembered us today and we promised we will not dump waste around the area again.
Also, Joseph Onua, a 12-year-old student of the school who expressed his gratitude said that government should continue with the intervention as the effort would promote the environmental health.(NAN)
VOE/DO/EAL
Edited by David Onilede/Ekemini Ladejobi