Health
Ogun community urges govt to clear mounting refuse heaps
By Oreoluwa Odusanya and Folashade Obisanya
Residents and traders at Lotto community in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have lamented the mounting heaps of refuse littering the area.
The residents also decried the lack of waste evacuation trucks to regularly clear the refuse.
A visit to the community by PUNCH Metro on Monday showed that the waste had become a source of concern to residents and traders, while some passersby used the area to urinate and defecate.
The residents told our correspondents that the refuse had remained at the location for about two years, negatively affecting businesses and posing environmental and health risks.
A trader, who identified herself as Mrs Okoro, lamented that efforts by waste management officials to address the problem had failed to provide a lasting solution.
She said, “The officials used to come and pack it, but they later stopped. They now only burn it. People keep dumping more waste, even when the officials warn them to stop.
“The refuse dumpster has been like this for two years. It smells during the rainy season. The government should provide a place where people can dump their waste so that the officials can properly dispose of it.”
Another trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity for personal reasons, said the refuse had affected her business since she moved to the area in August last year.
She said, “I came here last August, and I met the heap of refuse. It is affecting my business because whenever people want to buy something and they see the refuse, it chases them away.
“Although the officials usually burn it, people continue to dump waste there and use the area to ease themselves. We are begging the government to provide a solution and completely clear the refuse.”
A resident, who identified himself simply as Peter, urged the government to provide waste evacuation trucks to clear the refuse, saying the situation posed a health risk.
He said, “It is unhealthy for people to stay where there is refuse. It will benefit everyone if the government provides a truck to evacuate the waste.”
A commercial motorcyclist, who identified himself simply as Ayobami, also described the situation as unhealthy, noting that residents were partly responsible for the continued accumulation of waste.
He said, “The site of the refuse is unhealthy. We, the community members, are also not helping by dumping refuse there.”
Another resident, who preferred to be called Chinedu, said the refuse had polluted the air and contributed to poor sanitation in the community.
He said, “The refuse is affecting the community. The air is polluted because of it. People usually urinate on it because there is no regulation and nobody to caution them. It has been reported, but no alternative has been provided.”
When contacted on Monday, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the government would work with the community development association to find a lasting solution to the problem.
Oresanya said, “When we have a community like that, we need to work with their community development association so that we know how to deploy resources to meet their needs.
“We will definitely call their CDA for a meeting, and we will decide together on how to get the best for them. The community will be clean.”
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