Elder Statesman Commends DSWMB for Effective Control of Waste in Asaba

The Delta State Waste Management Board has been commended for significantly reducing the menace of indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the State Capital Territory.

A retired civil servant and dealer of organic health products on Ibusa road, Asaba, Mr Jerome Onyenwiha, gave the commendation while speaking on the cleanliness of most parts of the capital city.

He observed that Ibusa road, among other strategic areas, was no longer what it used to be in terms of litters and waste dumped on the median strips, as officials of the Waste Management Board could be seen on a daily basis with their trucks evacuating refuse from different locations.

The elder statesman noted that though the unwholesome practice of dumping refuse at unauthorized places in Asaba was still there, the Board had reduced it to the barest minimum considering the ever growing population of residents of the town.

Mr Onyenwiha, who said he had engaged the services of a Waste Manager (PSP) for his residence and shop, urged those yet to register to do so in the overall interest of public health and a cleaner environment.

He said one could easily find blocked drains around the town, due largely to the dumping of refuse in the channels by some residents, attributing the flooding experienced in some parts of the state capital whenever it rained to the unhealthy practice.

The senior citizen also commented on the delay in the evacuation of mud and debris from de-silted drains and called on the relevant authorities to ensure their prompt removal to avoid them being washed back to the drains.

Mr Onyenwiha also frowned at the way and manner some occupants of moving vehicles and Keke littered the streets with waste materials like wraps of snacks, empty cans of drinks, sachet and bottled water, wondering why such individuals should not be made to face the consequences of their bad habit to deter others.

He called for stricter enforcement of environmental laws, not only in Asaba but also in other parts of the state, especially in Agbor, his home town.

Meanwhile, the routine evacuation of waste in Asaba by the Delta State Waste Management Board continued over the weekend along the Asaba-Benin expressway, between the airport axis and Koka junction.

The exercise was supervised by Evelyn Orisewezie.