MARARABA – Some residents of Mararaba in Nasarawa State have blamed the recurring flooding along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway on indiscriminate refuse dumping on the roadside.
NAN observed that refuse was usually washed into the drains whenever it rained, thereby blocking the drainage system running through the entire area.
This results to flooding and the residents are exposed to health hazards from offensive odour released by the decomposing garbage littering the environment.
Reacting to the development, a resident, Mr Victor Amah, said people in the area were battling with serious health challenges resulting from the dirty environment.
“I am worried over the sanitary condition of Mararaba as a whole, considering the way people of the area are dumping refuse there.
‘’Residents are fond of sweeping refuse into the drains which run across the entire area, and whenever it rains heavily, the whole rubbish finds its way into the gutter.
[eap_ad_1] ‘’The roadside traders and the hawkers are really a big problem to this area; they continue to dump things into the drain in spite of all the advice on the health implications of such act,’’ Amah said.
Describing the situation as worrisome, he said there could be an outbreak of diseases such as cholera, measles and other diseases associated with unclean environment, if nothing was done to address the problem.
He appealed to the authorities of Karu Local Government Area in particular to declare a weekly general sanitation for the people living within its jurisdiction.
Such a measure, Amah said, would make it easier for the people and the government to control indiscriminate waste dumping.
Also commenting, Mrs Ester Uwah, who also decried the poor sanitation around Mararaba area, condemned the attitude of some residents, who according to her, are not concerned about their health and environment.
“We, Nigerians are not conscious of our environment and this is why our health is easily polluted.’’
Miss Amaka Odoh, another resident, urged the government to place more refuse bins along the road.
Odoh said that this would help to curb poor waste disposal and poor sanitation attitude exhibited by the residents.
‘’I want to appreciate the government of Nasarawa State for its concern this time around by providing us with receptacles.
‘’There was a time in the past that people used to drop their waste on the ground.
‘’But today, at least there are receptacles along the road and I am appealing to the government to supply us more as the volume of waste and the population of people keeps increasing everyday,‘’ Odoh said. (NAN)
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