By Onwukwe Ezeru
(Umuahia) and
Oye Chukwujekwu
(Asaba)
Fear of the outbreak of diseases, including lassa fever and guinea worm infection, is concentrating minds in Delta and Abia where health authorities now double down to clear waste and enlighten residents on proper disposal.
Delta State Social Mobilisation Technical Committee (SOMTEC) has urged the Waste Management Board, councils, and other agencies to regularly dispose of refuse in towns and cities.
State Information Director and SOMTECChairman, Paul Osahor, reiterated at a meeting of the committee in Asaba that regular and proper waste disposal will help curtail lassa fever and other communicable diseases.
Watching out for lassa fever
Osahor said even though the state government has curbed the recent outbreak of lassa fever, residents should be on the lookout and promptly report to or visit the nearest health facility when they notice a health problem.
Director of Community Development, Advocacy and Social Mobilisation, Primary Health Care Development Agency, Francis Onojeta, frowned at the refuse that litter streets in Asaba.
He advised Deltans to be vigilant about lassa fever and maintain cleanliness, saying proper disposal of refuse will reduce the proliferation of rats, the primary carriers of the virus.
Bad refuse disposal by Abia residents
In Abia, Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) General Manager, Ikechukwu Apugo, commended GovernorOkezie Ikpeazu for his intervention in the evacuation of heaps of refuse in Umuahia.
He thanked Ikpeazu for coming to the aid of ASEPA and setting up an intervention team that will help it keep Umuahia and other cities and towns clean statewide.
Apugo told TheNiche in an interview in Umuahia that Ikpeazu would not want to preside over sick people, hence he has made healthcare one of his pillars of development plan.
He said the cleanliness of Umuahia, Aba, Ohafia, and other areas is his priority but expressed regret that some Abians pour hot and inflammable materials intorefuse bins which set them on fire.
Though the intervention team is temporary, ASEPA will sustain its work, he pledged.
Need for more refuse trucks and bins
Apugo listed the challenges of refuse disposal to include a lack of trucks and refuse bins, saying the agency needs the right logistics to sustain itscurrent tempo of work.
He expressed disappointment that residents also litter the streets instead of using the disposal bags provided by ASEPA, and warned that the agency would not tolerate the habit.
He appealed to the state government to provide more trucks and refuse bins as the ones currently in use are dilapidated.
Workers fear guinea worm infection
Some ASEPA staff who preferred anonymity told TheNiche that the difficulty of their work tells on them as they buy their own hand gloves and other tools like knives and shovels.
They also cited the hazards in having to collect waste without rain boots and work gear, which exposes them to health dangers, especially guinea worm infection.
The workers, who confirmed that they are not being owed salaries, thanked the state government for their welfare but urged it to provide trucks, refuse bins, and other work materials to enable them do their job effectively.
Some residents of Umuahia – including Ojo Nkete, Uche John, and Steve Gbaram – urged the government not to re-open Isi Gate Market because it would hinder effective refuse disposal in the metropolis.
They complained that the huge refuse generated by traders in the market and the way they dispose of it deface the city and compound the work of ASEPA.
The residents implored the government to declare a state of emergency on refuse management and find out a way to turn waste into wealth.