A massive clean up exercise being jointly organized by the Delta State Ministry of Environment, the State Environmental Sanitation Task Force, the State Waste Management Board and the Warri/Uvwie and Environs Development Agency, has commenced in Warri.
Day one of the exercise, led by the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Chris Onogba, took the team to the NPA by-pass and the NPA expressway in Warri, where focus was on clearing over grown weeds on the median strips, scrapping of sand on the road, litter picking, evacuation of illegal dump sites and removal of derelict materials on the road.
Speaking to newsmen in the course of the exercise, Mr Onogba blamed the poor state of the environment on the erroneous belief that it belongs to no body.
He stated that until residents of the state chose to take ownership of the environment by making it part of them, they would continue to live with the consequences of poor environmental hygiene.
The Commissioner wondered why anyone would wait to be told to clear his surroundings of over grown weeds when failure to do that could attract snakes and other rodents, just as not opening up blocked drains and natural waterways could cause flooding and impact negatively on the environment.
He spoke strongly against illegal dumping of refuse by residents of Warri and the Environs, stressing that there was no reason for that because government was partnering with the private sector on the evacuation of waste from homes to approved dump sites.
Onogba reminded residents that not registering with the Private Sector Participants and not having waste bins were serious offences with appropriate sanctions, adding that adequate policing of the environment would be maintained as a way of guarding against doing the wrong thing to the environment.
The Commissioner urged the Warri/Uvwie and Environs Development Agency to take the beautification of the cities under its jurisdiction seriously to discourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse, particularly on the median strips and promised the collaboration of his ministry towards achieving the agency’s set goals in the area of environmental sanitation.
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