World Enviroment Day: Delta Government Task Residence On Clean Environment
Just as the Delta State government joins other states of the federation and the world to celebrate this year’s World Environment Day, the state government has called on all residents to key into the Private Sector Participant (PSP) in waste collection and disposal.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Barr John Nani, made the call Tuesday in Asaba, while flagging off the 2018 Word Environment Day with the theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution”.
The Environment Commissioner who was aptly represented by the Director of Sanitation in the ministry, Mr Adah Lucky, disclosed that this year’s event was in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, state government, the Waste Management Board and other waste stakeholders.
Barr Nani hinted that the exercise which was flagged off at the Popular Traffic Light/Ezennei Avenue Junction was not meant for those in Asaba alone but an exercise across the state.
He said it was “pertinent that the environment should be clean at all times”, revealing that all including government functionaries are guilty in environmental issues as indigenes and residence drop plastics indiscriminately which he said is causing pollution all over the place”.
Also, the Executive Chairman, Delta State Waste Management Board, Douglas Okolotu, said, “A clean environment brings about healthy living”.
He noted that plastics last for a longer time and does not decay easily, saying that recycling is one of the ways to beat plastic pollution as they could be used for other things.
Director of Operations in the Agency, Michael Esegba, who represented the Waste Management Board Executive chairman, said “there is no need throwing them into the drains because when we do that, the environment will be degraded and we are going to be affected”.
He hinted that revenue could be generated from waste if properly disposed and handed over for recycling and called on residence to key into the PSP arrangement of the state government.
Also speaking, the Director-General (DG), Delta State Capital Territory Agency, Chief Clement Ofuani, who was represented by his Head of Environment in the agency, Isaac Nwosu, harped on the importance of clean environment, “this road show is to show that we all need clean and safe environment. So, we all need everyone to key into this very important segment of our economy which is clean environment”.
He said it has been discovered that plastics last for decades, “and so when we drop them indiscriminately, they block our drains and it will affect our aquatic life”, calling on Deltans to key into proper management of plastics for a clean and sustainable environment.
President, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, Delta State chapter, Reverend Maxwell Egbe, said one of the ways to beat plastic pollution is being conscious of the environment, “because these plastics don’t use themselves, we use the plastics and after the usage of the plastics, we are supposed to arrest it, put it in a covered bin or a cellophane bag “where the PSPs comes to take it and take it to the proper place where it is further recycled into the system”.
he called on the state government to put dump sites in proper shapes, create access roads to dump sites and encourage micro industries going into recycling, “I think in that way, we will have a lot of refuge off the streets. Because if we have small micro industries that are recycling these pure water sachets and these water cans, definitely before you know it people will start to sell them, pick them from the ground on the streets and selling them to these people and before you know, we have a cleaner environment.