“When you get to the dumpsite ahead, make a turning to the right.”NOT only did it come as a shock to hear such description, the realisation unfortunately is that illegal dumpsites have become landmarks in Nigerian society, and a norm to many.
Waste management is one of the most daunting tasks for many governments worldwide, as people still dispose waste on plots of land, sidewalks, roads, streams, channels and drains, and almost every available space. With ever increasing rate in population, the demand for food and other essentials is on the rise, and as a result, there is an increase in the amount of waste generated daily by many households. According to reports, the quantity of waste generated in Ibadan metropolis in 2012 was estimated to be about 635,000 tonnes with 0.55kg per person, per day.
Although, much progress could have been said to be attained by the Oyo State Waste Management Authority (OYOWMA) in collection, transportation and the management of dumpsites in the city, there is still room for more to be done in sensitising residents on waste management.
While some have adopted the most recent standard means of waste disposal, which is dropping waste at waste collection points for waste collectors, illegal dumping of refuse for others still remains a habit.
Speaking on the criteria for selecting a waste collection point, General Manager, OYOWMA, Mr Joseph Alabi, said dumping refuse anywhere or anyhow is against the law.
“The first criterion is where people live; they must have a storage facility, which would be managed by them, so that it won’t be abused by others. That is the policy now. Storage facilities are also encouraged in markets, and where there is no opportunity for this, vehicles go to such locations at an agreed time and date so that as they dump, they pay, which is the policy. However, waste generators must pay for waste management.
“There is a Law enacted for sanitation that established this organisation, and there are sections of it that tell you not to dump refuse indiscriminately and make use of storage facilities and a private sector participant to manage your waste. So if you dump refuse in unauthorised place, the law will catch up with you. We have personnel moving around to enforce these laws, and when such occurs, such person will be tried and sanctioned,” he said.
Yet despite various enlightenment programmes by the body and other environmental agencies to sensitise Ibadan residents, many still do not key into the idea of paying to dispose their waste, while others will not even think twice before littering the ground.
The era of enforcing waste bins on commercial buses to reduce littering roads seem to have been long gone, while waste bins placed at different locations across the city have also been removed. So the question remains who is to blame for these illegal dumpsites and where lies the sanctions for perpetrators?
“Nigerians generally are dirty. You can hardly take three steps on our major roads without seeing nylons, papers and the likes. But I personally don’t blame residents, but the authorities in charge. In many developed countries, waste bins are placed at strategic points, so where there are no bins, people are forced to litter, knowing especially that nothing will be done. Also, because I can afford to pay waste disposal companies monthly does not mean every other person can. So many people cannot afford it,” Mr Eniola Alagbe said.
Another resident, Mr Charles Fawole said: “No matter what, Nigerians will still litter. I gave up on the dream of having a clean Nigeria the day I saw heaps of refuse on an uncompleted site just few days after abusive words had been written on the wall to restrict people from dumping refuse there. If curses can’t stop a Yoruba person from dumping refuse in a place, then I don’t think any law can. The authorities I believe are playing their roles, but with so many counteractions from residents, their efforts will only be like a drop of water in the ocean.”
For waste collectors, it is a fight that will take a while to overcome.“Many times, we often have to pet people and make them understand the importance of patronising waste collectors,” Mr Dele Olupitan, CEO, Deletech Golden Links Services said.
Ineffective enforcement of environmental sanitation laws has continued to be a contributing factor to the lukewarm attitude of people towards waste disposal. Although the national environmental sanitation exercise: War Against Indiscipline (WAI) held every last Saturday of the month and that of Oyo State every Thursdays is making an impact, many of the regulatory agencies seem to be more interested in restricting movement, rather than focusing on the main purpose of the exercise, which is to ensure that everyone cleans their environment.
In her reaction, the acting Head of Local Government Administration, Oluyole Local Government, Mrs Oyedeji Oluwakemi, said restricting the movement in a way, would also make people clean.
“We not only restrict movement, we also move around nooks and crannies to ensure that neighbourhoods engage in cleaning. That is the essence of saying that people should stay in their houses. The issue is we often have to educate them, because this is a democratic society, we cannot force them,” she said.
So what are the laws; how can people be firmly discouraged from littering? Answering these questions, Mrs Oyedeji said dumping of refuse wrongly is illegal, and so, attracts sanctions.
“Illegal dumping of refuse is a violation of Section 10 of the Oyo State Environmental Sanitation Law. At the onset, when we arrest people who don’t conform with the cleaning exercise, we often take them to the police where they are warned and later released. But by this month, harsh sanctions will be meted out to violators, as the court will soon be involved,” she warned.
The Director, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young Nigeria, Mr Ayodeji Ogunyemi also emphasised that it is illegal to litter.
“The laws are there; it is illegal to litter. In fact, the laws require that the person generating the waste engages licensed operators to collect them. Dumping of waste in unauthorised places is illegal. But unfortunately over time, and because of strong cultural background and traditions, these laws have not been really adhered to in Ibadan. ”
Besides clogging of the drainage system, which exposes to flooding; air pollution, which includes odour and smoke from burnt refuse, the environmental and health hazards of such illegal dumpsites cannot be overemphasised, as the pollution caused to the earth: be it land, air and water is enormous. Also, the odour while transporting these wastes is always unbearable for many.
Since organic domestic waste ferment, they create conditions favourable to the survival and growth of microbial pathogens, and as such aids some communicable diseases. The refuse workers also face hazards such as parasite infection, injuries from glass, razor blades, syringes, and the likes.
So where does wastes from Ibadan metropolis go? There are four dumpsites in Ibadan: Lapite in Akinyemi Local Government; Ajakanga, Oluyole Local Government; Aba-Eku in Ona Ara Local Government and Awotan, in Ido Local Government, all located at the four cardinal points of the city.
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