Lagos: Residents, traders lament as refuse swamp Ajegunle Market
SKAiF NewsNG SNN
By Henry Obetta
Traders and residents of Boundary Market area, Ajegunle, Lagos, have decried the poor state of the environment saying that poor waste management practices have caused people to dump their refuse on roads.
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They also lamented the deplorable condition of the Ajegunle-Apapa Waterside canal, saying that the dumping of refuse and sewage in the canal had led to its contamination, making it to have foul odor and posing a risk to their health.
In an interview with Vanguard, some of the residents blamed the poor condition of the environment on fellow residents stating that they dispose their refuse improperly and lack good sanitary habits, while others faulted waste management agencies for inefficiencies in performance of their duties.
Traders lament
One of the shop owners, Mr. Philip Mgbecheta, stated that perpetrators usually come to dump their refuse on the market roads when traders had gone home after the days work.
According to him: “After closing the market, we found out that there are people – some living in the market area, some do sleep within the market – they will use the opportunity to throw their dirts on the market road.
“We, inside the market, use to contribute money to make sure that we clean it.”
He lamented the state of the Ajegunle-Apapa Waterside canal, stating that it had grown worse compared to previous years as refuse accumulate, and had caused mosquitoes to increase and pose as risk to health.
Mgbecheta urged government to provide more security personnel in the market to ensure orderliness in disposing of refuse and cleanliness of the environment.
“We need more security that will be watching people that are throwing these dirts because I believe that we that are selling within the market are organized.
“The dirt on the road are not good for human health. It’s not good for somebody to sit in an environment that is not clean, he said.
Another shop owner, Miss Mary Steven, whose shop is close to the canal, complained bitterly about the state of the canal saying that the refuse that had been dumped in it, had polluted the water and made it ooze bad odour in the area.
Steven said: “People bring refuse from their homes many times to dump here instead of them to pay and wait for LAWMA to carry their refuse. Sometimes, some of the cart pushers will take money from people, pack their dirts and come pour them here.
“The odour here, we that have shops can’t bear it. Sometimes I just have to leave my shop and walk out. We use to drive the perpetrators ourselves.”
She urged the government and waste management agencies to intervene in the deplorable condition of the canal and ensure that residents abide with regulations regarding proper waste disposal.
“They have not done anything here, we don’t see waste management officials here. We don’t have nice view here. People would come here and be looking at us like we are so dirty, not knowing that it’s outsiders that used to bring dirt here.”
Another trader, Peace Akinloye, urged that the regular Saturday sanitation be reintroduced in the market noting that they in the market were the only ones that could ensure the cleanliness of the environment.
‘LAWMA has disappeared’
Speaking separately, a wholesaler, Mr. Jude, attributed the improper refuse dump in the market to the inefficiencies of the government and waste management agencies noting that even after they paid for waste disposal services, their refuse were still not collected.
According to him: “Every shop, I think, pays N600 every month, but LAWMA don’t come. At the end of the day we use our money to throw the dirt.
“In our compound, each flat pays, either N2,000 or N2,500 every month, yet we throw the dirt away by ourselves.
“The government is supposed to provide waste bins where people will be dropping their waste and then LAWMA be packing it. They are not doing their work in this area,” he said.
Jude said that the dirt in the area had increased unlike in the past years and is likely to continue increasing unless government intervenes.
He urged the government to provide the necessary equipment needed for keeping the environment clean adding that citizens are law abiding and reasonable enough to dispose their refuse properly.
The post Lagos: Residents, traders lament as refuse swamp Ajegunle Market appeared first on Vanguard News.
