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Students residents of Nsukka in Enugu State, called on Nsukka Local Government authorities to urgently evacuate refuse heaps that have made the town ugly and prone to imminent epidemics.
We have never had it so bad. We pay rates and levies to the concerned authorities, but we are currently being overtaken by refuse everywhere.
“It is also among the reasons that Nsukka is becoming prone to avoidable flooding. The refuse is allowed to spread across drainages, obstructing water flow in the process. If it rains, everywhere smells. It can be disgusting.”
A trader said Nsukka environment has become an eyesore. “I can’t believe what I see nowadays, and nobody is complaining. It calls for protest that a local government that collects allocations can’t evacuate refuse.
“There are designated places where we are asked to dump refuse bags for collection. In the past week, these bags have been allowed to accumulate to the extent that there are no more spaces.”
She added, “Before now, these heaps are evacuated on a daily basis. But of late, the evacuators have not been seen. It is all about contracts and corruption. Maybe the problem is payment.
”Nsukka LGA is rated to have the most workers in its employ. Can’t they deploy these workers who don’t do anything to address the environmental degradation in the area? It is affecting our business because opposite my shop is a refuse heap that is disgusting.”
A lab scientist operating along Enugu road, on condition of anonymity, said, “This negligence can lead to epidemics. I observe that rats are multiplying every day because they feed fat on dirty environment.
“People are also at risk of water-borne diseases. Worse still, Nsukka, as a senatorial zone, lacks tertiary health facilities. Any emergency will be referred to Enugu, which is over an hour’s drive. I expect the state health ministry to wade in instead of waiting until the epidemics arrive.”
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