The past two decades have recorded an increased sensitisation and awareness about the relationship between our health and the physical environment.

Lots of regional and international agencies have staged campaigns against the depletion of the Ozone Layer (the green house effect) due to the increase in the world’s atmospheric temperature predominantly from gas flares, damage to the marine habitat due to oil spillages and indiscriminate dumping of industrial waste. In Nigeria much advocacy has been made about the protection of our environment from unguided human activities right from the wake of the Niger Delta consciousness which actually took root in the 90’s with Dr. Ken Saro Wiwa as the crusader.

To this day a lot of study groups, Non-Novernmental Organisations, governmental agencies and concerned intellectuals have given this issue so much attention, with the hope that soon the oil multinationals and their related industries in the Niger Delta region would become fair enough to do business with better practice and concern for the environment.

Good as that fight may really seem,  not much of it has been made in the area of domestic waste which equally poses threat – in sensitisation for attitudinal change, enactment of enforceable laws and development of affective modalities for management. Previous government especially under Dr. Konya (Mrs) as Commissioner for Environment did so well in mobilising companies for the collection and disposal of this class of waste and supervision for effectiveness. The present administration of Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi (JP) has stepped ahead in the beautification of the state capital and provision of waste bins along roads and in parks. In spite of these efforts, there appears to be little effect of change – of expected beauty bloom. In most part of Port Harcourt , there are approved collection points but more often, we see a continuous overlow of the waste (End of Club Road/Creek Road, Town) being an example. What do we attribute it to?

Ineffectiveness or non-commitment on the part of the registered companies or could it be the attitude and messy packaging of the waste from household?

Equally worrisome is the increasing volume of polyethene waste- from sachet/bottle water and polyethene bags liltering everywhere and capable of staying for decades before decomposing. In the face of these, what becomes of our environment and health in the nearest future- this is my worry!

It is common to see drivers and passengers throw satchets water bags, biscuit wraps on the roads, market women/men dump waste without consideration. Residents litter environment and even dump waste in drainages without any form of concern for public health and decency. These show of poor attitude are reflection of our collective value system – A system that does not contemplate a tomorrow but today and now, no other person but ourselves, no need but satisfaction of our immediate. This is a challenge!

The location of most of the collection centres are along busy roads. We do see continuous overflow of waste matter which often extend to the roads resulting in obstruction to free flow of traffic (the centre along East/West Road by Rumuodara, town hall-Eneka and the centre already mentioned at the end of (club road). The sight of the overflow offends that sense of decency and civility which the present administration is trying to revive or atleast make us think so. This show of poor organisation of the exercise and management of the project by concerned parties is another challenge.

Almost everybody takes sachet water (popularly known as pure water). Everybody uses polytethene product to bag goods home from markets and stores. Confectioneries use polyethene to wrap their products and many more industries, making the production of polyethene one of the fastest growing business with fastest growing danger on the environment and man in the long run since it takes a very long number of years to decompose (rot). It poisons marine habitat, poisons the soil when buried, emits poisonous gas that is as dangerous as carbon oxide and capable of adding to the already heated global atmospheric condition. Government agencies have only placed tax on the producers of sachet/bottle water but nothing to show for effort at recycling or complete decomposition of this dangerous product. This threat from polyethene products by its nature and by government lack of executable plan to address it in reality is the greatest challenge.

If we see ourselves as belonging to a larger whole and being affected by this whole in one way or another, there would be caution – a change of attitude to the way we dispose our domestic waste as individuals, and households. If people are made to be aware of the danger of polyethene products, there will be care in the disposal of this waste. This entails a whole lot of sensitisation about value enhancement through well crafted messages to arouse interest and secure willingness as slogans on television, radio, Billboards. Taking such messages to drivers and their union collaborating with schools, colleges, Churches and mosques in the sensitisation process will be very effective. Taking this message to the churches and schools will be effective since church leaders have considerable influence on their fellowers and teachers on their pupils and students. The messages on the television should be targeted at parents since the family unit is the base of value development.

I also think that if thorough study of the situation is made and seen to be imperative, there will be the need for effective legislation – legislation that should take cognisance of the realities on ground and reflect the will of the government to actually arrest the situation with a structure for administration and efforcement. Besides, legislation monitoring teams should be inaugurated area by area.

It is also my thinking that modalities be worked –out for effective administration probably as follows:

*By educating households on the need and how, of separating domestic waste into bottles, plastics/rubber, ployethene products, metals and decomposable waste. This will make management and disposal easy and effective.

*By organising street-to-street, area-to-area, market-to-market collection of waste through registered companies. The cost of this collection exercise should be borne by the household, market men and women leaving the government with the cost of treatment and disposal. This share of responsibility in terms of cost will foist a sense of moderation and cut in the volume of waste produced.

*Carrying out thorough supervision of registered collectors, streets, dump sites for performance with a well stipulated disciplinary measure for breach of contractual tems.

*I also think that the inauguration of a council to study the waste production pattern where, when, type of waste, volume of waste, rate of production and life pattern of residents of a particular location. This will form the basis for proactive planning and appropriate allocation of resources by the government.

*Producers of polyethene products and satchet/bottle water producers should equally be made to partner with the government and agencies in the sensitisation and education about the danger of indiscriminate disposal of polyethene products in the long run. They should equally partner to find ways of re-cycling the products or decomposing them outrightly without compromising environmental health in the process.

Now, it is open to all that the present administration has a keen interest in re-packaging the face of Port Harcourt and Rivers State as a whole as could be seen in some areas. However, it may be short of credit if the issue of environmental health is not addressed in totality with a better framework for reviews of previous approaches, re-study of the trend and residents’ habit with a leadership will to do it now and better. Why the government? Because it has influence on the citizens by virtue of its constitutional right. To everybody, this is our state, our environment, our challenge. Let’s do it together, to keep living.

Asuk wrote  from Port Harcourt.

Gospel Asuk