Eke Residents Decry Lack Of Refuse Dump

Residents of Eket in Akwa Ibom State, have decried the lack of refuse dumps in the area.

Some residents said in Eket that the streets were littered with refuse due to the absence of dump sites, making the environment untidy.

A businessman, Mr Udeme Essiet, decried the practice of dumping refuse into gutters and streets whenever it rained.

“When rain falls, people take advantage and dump refuse in the gutters which blocks the drains in the area.’’

Also, a shop owner, Mr Ubong Etteka, said that such practice could result in cholera and diarrhoea epidemics

He urged the relevant authorities, the state government, and pub-lic spirited individuals to provide refuse bins in the area.

Reacting, the sta-te Commissioner for Environment, Mr Enobong Uwah, said that in spite of the continued awareness campaign, some people used the drains as their refuse bins thereby negating the efforts of government to reduce flooding.

“This attitude is unacceptable to government and any person caught blocking the drains will be arrested by the ministry’s enforcement team and arraigned before the sanitation court,” he said.

Uwah said that the ministry was determined to de-silt the drains and to collaborate with the Ministry of Works to provide water channels for newly-constructed roads.