The Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Bro. Felix Obuah, has warned that the agency would deal with those burning refuse at the railway line along Oloibiri Street, D/Line as well as in GRA, near the popular OPM house, Port Harcourt, the state capital. This is also applicable to any other place in the state, in line with the relevant sanitation laws of the state.
Bro. Obuah who issued the warning following a ‘Save Our Soul’ message sent to the agency by some concerned residents, as he warned that those caught in the unscrupulous acts would be arrested and prosecuted.
He told the residents of Oloibiri Street, D/Line and those of GRA, near OPM house, that it is illegal to burn refuse even at RIWAMA-approved receptacles, stressing that no one was precluded from the government’s ban, adding that any one arrested would be used as a deterrent to other violators of the state sanitation laws.
Recalling that the agency has repeatedly warned against indiscriminate burning of wastes, and other hazardous materials in any part of the State, Bro. Obuah said the state government was doing everything possible to forestall the further spread of soot which is currently posing serious threat to residents of Port Harcourt and its environs.
He stated that the fight against soot could only be won if residents and those doing business in the state comply with government’s directive, assuring that the ban on burning of refuse was done in their best interest in view of the dangers it poses to human health.
The RIWAMA Sole Administrator also appealed to residents of Port Harcourt and its environs to maintain good, clean and safe waste disposal habit by bagging their refuse and disposing off same at RIWAMA-approved receptacles and at government approved time of 6pm to 12midnight.
Urging people of the state to support the efforts of Governor Nyesom Wike in completely eradicating the soot, Bro. Obuah said the environment would be free from contamination if residents stop the burning of fossil fuel, for which wastes remain an intrinsic part.
“As we tirelessly work on the mandate to return the state to its Garden City status, we shall not relent in the zero tolerance to indiscriminate waste disposal and commitment to preservation of our environment. We must go beyond bagging the waste properly, to disposing them off accordingly”, Bro. Obuah declared.
The RIWAMA boss also called on residents and those doing business in the state to observe the approved dumping hours of 6pm to 12midnight, warning that the agency would not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any resident who flouts this directive.
While restating that cleanliness is next to godliness, the Sole Administrator said Governor Wike has invested huge resources to ensure the cleanliness of the state, thereore, residents must complement these efforts by abiding by sanitation laws, to preserve the environment.