By Fabian Ekeruche
Lagos Waste Management Authority(LAWMA) has assured Lagos residents of firm commitment to a cleaner environment .
The Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LAWMA, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, gave the assurance in a statement on Friday in Lagos while monitoring the level of cleanliness of the state.
Odumboni said that in spite of the challenge of diesel scarcity experienced by waste managers, the authority was making frantic efforts to clear any backlog of refuse and to stop acts of indiscriminate waste disposal in the state.
The CEO appealed to residents to bag and containerize their waste to allow for more storage period and to prevent littering the environment.
“We have redoubled our efforts, working round the clock to ensure that we evacuate all waste anywhere around the city.
“Although the scarcity and high cost of diesel has been a major challenge, as all service providers’ trucks run on diesel, nonetheless, we are doing the needful and leaving no stone unturned, to maintain a clean environment and prevent health hazard to the people.
“Over preceding months, we have rolled out advocacy and media sensitization campaigns, to inform and educate residents on the importance of environmental cleanliness, particularly the act of waste containerization.
” We have also supported efforts of Private Service Providers(PSP) operators, by providing backup services in areas that experienced service gaps, with the overall aim of eradicating black spots across the metropolis,” Odumboni said.
According to him, the resurgence of waste observed in some areas of the metropolis is borne out of the unforeseen diesel challenges the service providers are experiencing.
He said that the practice of some residents resorting to bringing their wastes to the highways, was not proper and should be discontinued.
“While we strongly reiterate the importance of waste containers at home, we passionately appeal and canvass for public cooperation, to combat a resurgence of waste on road medians, canals and other illegal spots.”
“We are assuring Lagosians of our total commitment to rid the environment of dirt.
*As we work day and night to make this happen, we urge you to support our efforts because the cleanliness of the state is a collective responsibility,” Odumboni said.
The LAWMA Chief, however, said that in spite of the serious logistics challenges faced by PSP operators, as a result of the increase in the price of diesel, they had continued to provide services to tenements.
He added that the Authority, in order to ensure effective turnaround time of waste collection trucks, had also ensured that landfills in the state were in proper shape.
“Before now, we had carried out massive rehabilitation work across our various landfills, to improve the turnaround time of PSP trucks servicing tenements and commercial facilities in the state.
“This has improved condition of the sites, paving way for seamless waste collection activities,” Odumboni said.
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