That Refuse Heap In Bori-Kono Road

Bori is the headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State and traditional headquarters of the Ogoni ethnic nationality Rivers State.

The community is presently the capital of the Rivers South East Senatorial zone comprising Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme, Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro and Oyigbo local government area.

The presence of the Kenule Beeson Saro Wiwa polytechnic and other commercial ventures have led to an upsurge in the population of Bori.

The consequence of this is that, the problem of refuse disposal is becoming a source of concern to residents of the city and the adjoining communities. Investigation by The Tide revealed that, the local authorities are yet to come to terms with the problem of refuse disposal in Bori main town and the surrounding communities.

The investigation also reveal that, the Bori axis of the Bori, Wiyakara Kono express road is being cut off by heap of refuse.

The Tide also observed that, one of the refuse dumpsites at the back of the Divisional Headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force is fast becoming an eyesore to visitors coming into the city from Kono and Wiyakara axis.

The problem is being compounded by the activities of scavengers who throng the site daily in search of junk, thereby making the dirt to spill on the road.

Some passersby who spoke to The Tide at the site described it as an eyesore, and stressed the need for the authority to rise up to the challenge of checking indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the area.

An indigene of Ogoni, Mr Mene Gbarabe who reacted on the situation in an interview with The Tide in Bori said that, it poses a serious challenge to the people.

Mr Gbarabe who is a Port Harcourt based media practitioner also regretted that, inspite of the effort by the present administration in the state to ensure a clean environment across the state, some persons have formed the habit of dumping refuse at unauthorized places and stressed the need for the Khana Local Government Council to check the indiscrimate dumping of refuse along the Bori Wiyakara Kono road.

The also urged local councils across the state to replicate the clean environment programme of the Administration at the state level in their localities.

Also speaking, Mr Ezekiel Koba, a Bori resident agreed that the situation portends great danger to the health of the people.

Mr Koba also said that, most of those residing in and around the dumpsite seem to be ignorant of its health implication and stressed the need for the police authorities to mount survellance against those indiscriminately dumping refuse in the area.

He also called on the Khana local government area to set up a taskforce to check indiscrimate dumping of refuse not only in Bori urban but other communities across the area.

A student of the Kenule Beeson Saro Wiwa polytechnic Bori who spoke under condition of anonymity said that the problem is not only peculiar to Bori but across the entire region.

According to him, outside Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor other councils do not give much attention to sanitation in their vicinities, stressing that most council chairmen have not heeded the recent calls by the Rivers State Governor Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike to ensure regular sanitation in their local government areas.

He claimed that, apart from the institution’s campus where students, regularly organize cleanup, no major cleanup exercise has been organised in Bori and its environs.

According to him, the ministry of environment must step up its sensitization campaigns in the rural areas, while the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWNMA) needs to establish its presence in major cities across the state.

Another respondent, Miss Lera Isaac, also called for the establishment of a committee to check the indiscriminate disposal of refuse in Bori. Miss Isaac also called on the Khana Local Government Council to as a matter of urgency designate a dumpsite in the area, stressing that the current practice of dumping of defuse along the Bori-Wiyakara-Kono road should be discouraged as the situation is not giving the city a good image.

“Let them stop dumping refuse here, it is not good.

“Government should look into this matter and stop people from coming to dump refuse here”, she said.

Other respondents also stressed the need for the authority of Khana local government to close down the dumpsite to avoid the spread of epidemic in the area.

It must be noted that as on emerging city, it is important for the Authorities to note that the attendance consequences of any growing city or Town is increased generation of refuse or wastes that is why the Authorities in Khana must ensure that refuse dumpsites in Bori are properly designated to ensure that they did not become health risk to the inhabitants.