Oyo State Government and its Waste Management Consultant, Mottainai Recycling has begun fumigation of dumpsites, starting with Lapite in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state. This is in its bid to eliminate communicable diseases within the neighbourhood and epidemic in the State

This was jointly revealed yesterday by the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Abiodun Oni and the Managing Director, Mottainai Recycling, Mr. Ade Adewuyi in Ibadan.

In his words, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Abiodun Oni stated that the fumigation exercise, which started on Saturday at Lapite dumpsite would be extended to other dumpsites across the State to protect immediate and surrounding communities where the sites are situated.

The Commissioner, who spoke through the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Modupe Adeleye appealed to residents to shun all practices capable of having a negative impact on the environment.

“The fumigation exercise plays an important role in the waste management chain. This will help us attain a cleaner and safer environment. It is no doubt that dumpsites are prime breeding sites for communicable diseases, vectors such as rodents, Mosquitoes and houseflies which tend to exacerbate the prevalence of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera among others”, he said.

Consequently, the commissioner reiterated that in its bid to primarily achieve a sustainable solid waste management, residents should also perform their civic responsibility through prompt payment for their waste disposal and also desist from dumping wastes indiscriminately in unauthorized areas.

The Commissioner therefore expressed the State Government’s commitment towards protecting public health and minimizing the discomfort which might be caused by the dumpsites to neighbouring communities.

Also speaking, Mr. Adewuyi said the exercise will make the sites safer for waste management operations, and reduce health risks to the communities where they are located.

He said the dumpsites which play crucial roles in the new waste management chain need proper disinfection in order to attain the State Government’s vision of establishing a cleaner environment.

“This is the right way to go, in sanitizing our environment. Our main goal is to protect the public and minimize the negative impacts of these sites to the neighbouring communities”, he said.

He said, “Dumpsites are a crucial component for the delivery of Solid Waste Management,as they serve as the final destination for all solid waste collected from residences, businesses and public spaces.”

The Oyo State Government has sealed the indigenous Premier Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in West Africa, situated at Mokola hill in Ibadan for violating the environmental sanitation laws of the State.

A statement issued by the state Government said that an event centre located at the Eleyele area of the city was also sealed.

Abiodun Oni, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, who led the enforcement team, reiterated that the need to seal up these facilities became necessary so as to put an end to environmental nuisance in the State.

The commissioner said he was appalled with the attitude of the management of Premier Hotel for accumulating heaps of wastes within their premises. He wondered why the management failed to co-operate with the designated authorised waste collector, despite the seven-days ultimatum given to them to evacuate their wastes.

“It is disheartening that despite efforts of this administration to provide an enabling and sustainable environment to residents, people still go ahead violating the environmental laws of the State whereas a filthy environment poses threats to individual’s lives in the State,” Mr. Oni said.

“When sickness comes, it knows no boundaries.”

In the same development, over 80 shops were sealed at Sango market for non-compliance with environmental sanitation laws.

The violations include indiscriminate dumping of wastes on the road median, accommodating a filthy drainage at the frontage of their shops, and non-compliance with the authorised waste collector while also the event centre was sealed for patronising illegal waste collector.

Mr. Oni said the enforcement will continue to take place lest people understand the need to take care of our environment

“As citizens, proper waste disposal is a way of exercising their responsibilities as well as giving concrete support to the Government as such, putting an end to the scourge of filthy environment,” he said.

The team also visited Gbaremu market and Adelabu Complex at Challenge to sensitize the traders on the importance of having a clean, safe and healthy environment while also giving them stern warning to comply with the environmental sanitation laws or else would face its wrath.