NGO Advocates Legislation On Waste Disposal

An Uyo-based NGO, Humanity and Environment Projects, has advocated for legislation to curb indiscriminate waste disposal in Akwa Ibom.

Speaking with newsmen in Uyo last Tuesday, the organisattion’s Project Manager, Mr Stephen James, expressed concern that dump sites were not being regulated.

“Everybody dumps anything anywhere; this serves as breeding habitats for mosquitoes,” James lamented.

He underscored the need for the state government to enact a law that would prohibit careless dumping of refuse in the state.

The project manager further advocated for a policy on tree planting in the state, especially at public institutions, major streets, places of worship and homes.

Mr. James also urged the state government to regulate the excavation of laterite by construction companies, to prevent the occurrence of landslide in the state.

Commenting on the activities of the NGO to mark the 2012 World Environment Day celebration, James said that the organisation was planning a one million-man march on June 8, to campaign against environmental degradation,

poverty and disease.

He said that the organisation would visit St Luke’s Hospital in Uyo, the state capital, on Tuesday, to distribute insecticide treated nets in addition to fumigating the hospital premises.

James said that the NGO also planned to visit motherless children homes to distribute insecticide treated nets and other items.

The organisation has also organised a lecture titled “Waste Management and Environmental Safety in the 21st Century: The Akwa Ibom State Experience,’’ James said.

According to him, the organisation, which was established in 2005, has done a documentary on erosion sites in the state.

Mr. James commended the Akwa Ibom government for responding to the erosion menace at Dominic Utuk’s Road.