Bags of waste disposed on the median of the PTI road, around Effurum market, Uvwie, Delta state. Photo credit : Ovedhe Hezekiah
By Ovedhe Hezekiah
Motorists plying the busy PTI road, Effurun in Uvwie local government area of Delta state have called on government to clear the growing heap of wastes dumped on the median of the road by traders at Effurun market.
A cross section of motorists say a plague may soon break out from the garbage.
Some of the motorists who spoke to The Dune Newspaper, decried the poor sanitation situation on the road caused by the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the highway.
They blamed the situation on the inefficiency of the contractor handling wastes management in the market, the traders and the local government council.
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A motorist Mr. Gibson Omodeka, a businessman who plies the road everyday said, “the traders who are fond of dumping wastes on the road do it at night when motorists can’t see them.
“PTI road is an eyesore a day after Effurun market day, because the traders always dump heap at the center of the road which has become worrisome and I joined hands with other motorists plying this road to call on the authorities concerned to act fast”.
Chairman of Uvwie local government, Mr. Ransom Onoyake.
A trader in the market said the environmental cleaning contractors who are supposed to help them evacuate the refuse at the right time are not really committed to their job.
Otutu Destiny, a resident of Alaka street in Effurun market, said the attitude of residents and traders who dumped wastes indiscriminately on the road offensive and regrettable.
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Destiny said it was becoming normal to see heap of refuse along major roads in Sapale and spots including Ovie palace junction, Effurun.
“If you move from Jakpa junction down to Ovie palace junction in Effurun, Sapale road you will see wastes being dumped by the road sides and the same also applies to some other roads across Effurun, Warri and its environs. This is to show that people no longer care about healthy living of others, which is very bad.”
He called for strict implementation of the law on indiscriminate dumping of wastes at the Effurun market and its environs, adding that such attitude should always attract punishment.
Helen Ejomafuwe, a secondary school teacher whose house is behind the Effurun market, also blamed the worsening sanitation around the market on the poor attitude to work shown by the environmental cleaning contractors.
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“Those saddled with cleaning of the market have failed in performing their duties and the local government council is not concerned, the council is only concerned about the revenue it is collecting from the traders.”
She called on all authorities concerned to wake up to their responsibility of ensuring that the market and the PTI road are kept clean all the time.
Ejomafuwe called on the local government council to prevail on the contractor handling wastes management in the market to put in more energy into the cleaning of the market and the road instead of chasing hawkers and road sellers around all the time.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Uvwie local government council, Mr. Ramson Onoyake, to find out what the council was doing about the poor sanitation and indiscriminate disposal of wastes on the
road proved abortive as his phone line was not reachable.
