Following the return of heaps of refuse on major high ways, streets, and at different junctions across Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Councils, the Rivers State Government has terminated contracts of all firms assigned to collect waste in the metropolis. A statement from the government indicated that the decision to terminate their contracts with the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) was because of their inability to fulfill their contractual obligations to the state.
According to the state government, the contractual agreement signed with all waste collectors across the state was designed to ensure a cleaner, healthier environment for the residents of the State. But the termination of their contract became effective immediately. The chairmen of the said councils were subsequently appointed to assume responsibility for the disposal of waste in their areas pending the appointment of new contractors.
The Tide observed that there were large dumps of refuse on virtually all the roads and available spaces, especially on the median of major highways. Investigation revealed that this was caused by improper disposal of waste by residents and the inability of the refuse disposal service providers to do their job. While some residents can afford to pay waste disposal operators for their services, others who cannot afford to do so dump garbage indiscriminately.
We are fully supporting the action of the state government in sacking the waste contractors, given the obvious failure to fulfill their contractual duties to keep the city clean and healthy. We need to crack down on gross indiscipline in waste management. The waste in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor, home to over 50 per cent of the state’s population, is troubling and unacceptable. It endangers the health of the people and negatively alters the “Garden City” status of the metropolis.
Furthermore, the accumulation of waste runs contrary to the essence of Governor Nyesom Wike’s urban renewal programme. Considering that the general election in 2023 is fast approaching, the development would not be in the best interest of the current administration that the state capital is gradually turning into a garbage city by waste contractors who have withdrawn their services.
Since waste evacuation in a densely populated city like Port Harcourt is capital-intensive, it should not be left in the hands of the Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor council chairmen longer than necessary. However, it is good news that the state government realised that and promised to appoint new waste contractors soon. Let this be done in the shortest possible time.
This is even more compelling now than ever as the rains have begun to unleash their venom on residents, devastating communities. The recent escalation of storm floods around vulnerable and often prone areas in some local government areas and communities, especially in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor, underscores the pressing need for drains, water channels, and canals, among others, to be desilted.
Attention must be paid to the main creeks and water channels of the state capital, especially Nta-Wogba, Nwaja through the Bori Camp, Rumuola, Rumuigbo, and Mgbuoba. Others include the Mini-Ezekwu, Rumuodara, Eliozu, Rumuodomaya, Rumuaghalu, Nkpor, Rumuosi, Elelenwo, Rumuokurusi, Elimgbu, Eneka, Rukpokwu, Aleto, Iriebe and Rumuakurusi.
The Eneka channels that have frequently resulted in severe flooding in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor should be emptied of debris, while canalisation should be strengthened to ensure that underground water channels are not obstructed through insouciant refuse disposal practices and irregular building of residential and industrial property.
The lack of waste management infrastructure coupled with the congestion problem of Port Harcourt makes it difficult to manage the sprawling city, and this is taking a toll on its residents. Because of inadequate awareness of waste management, residents indiscriminately dispose of waste in drainage canals, gutters and streets. The rubbish then accumulates to block drainage channels in residential areas and the inhabitants suffer the consequences.
Over the years, studies have shown that rapid population growth and the expansion of urban centres which followed the oil boom in the 1970s and industrialisation came with a modification in the waste stream in the country. This is the result of an increased use of goods to satisfy and meet the needs of the teeming population, culminating into a substantial increase in the amount of wastes generated.
It is thus essential to note that waste generation and population growth operate hand in hand. Waste disposal management has become a major concern despite repeated attempts by successive governments and private organisations to do so. This is why it is common to see piles of rotten garbage in nearly every corner of the country today.
Residential apartments, markets, waterways, motorways, streets and undeveloped land have become landfills for many households. Unsurprisingly, it is generally said that in Nigeria, waste increases are in a geometric progression and collection while disposal are in an arithmetic progression. This requires urgent expertise in waste management, because the primacy of a healthy environment for meaningful and productive work is linked to good waste oversight.
Waste disposal is everyone’s business since we produce it in just about everything we do. In the past, it was considered a resource. This was because the waste that was generated was mainly agricultural and was biodegradable and as such disposal was not a problem as the volume of the product was low, and these agricultural wastes helped to enrich the soil. This is not the case today as waste is a major concern that needs to be addressed urgently rather than considered a resource.
To overcome this challenge, the factors responsible for the poor management of waste disposal must be identified. These include the lack of adequate funding, over-population, lack of a comprehensive legal framework, and the application of existing regulations. Luckily, RIWAMA has not complained of the dirth of adequate funding. As long as these demanding issues are not dealt with appropriately, boldly and diligently by the authorities and those concerned, managing waste disposal in the state will remain a recurring nightmare.