By Chidinma Agu
Lagos – The Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMSON) on Monday advised Lagos State Government to carry out a post-impact assessment of the environment of major markets across the state.
The President of WAMSON, Prof. Oladele Osibanjo, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
He said that the environmental assessment had become imperative because most major markets in Lagos State and other states across the country were located in heavily polluted areas.
“And these are markets where urban dwellers, individuals, restaurant operators, hoteliers and everybody go to buy foodstuffs.
“’Some of these markets are located in areas where refuse is dumped indiscriminately; some of the markets are eyesores.
“Traders display their wares beside and on top of refuse mounds and people openly cook in those filthy environments.
“In short, there is more to be desired in the way traders display their wares, especially perishable foodstuffs, in the markets.
“A post-impact assessment of the environment of markets, particularly Ketu/Ikosi, the popular fruit market, and Mile 12 market, would reveal a lot of toxic waste buried therein.
“The proposed assessment would help us to ascertain how the harmful waste would affect surface and ground water, escape into the air and its hazardous effects on plants, animals and humans,’’ he said.
Besides, Osibanjo said that the health impact assessment of the markets would facilitate the introduction of remedial actions to clean up the markets.
He underscored the need for the government to promote the wellbeing of its citizens, saying that in the doing this, government should strive to respect laws on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and forcefully implement it in the public interest.
He said that EIA could possibly prevent the outbreak of disasters in the environment, while safeguarding the health and wellbeing of the residents of a particular neighbourhood.
Osibanjo also urged the government to take town planning laws seriously and be proactive in mapping out areas whenever human settlements in unplanned areas were noticed.
He said that if the government adopted such approach, it would be able to anticipate actions that could be dangerous to the environment, while initiating appropriate strategies to deal with them.
Osibanjo also advised the government to start incorporating waste management strategies in town and urban development projects right from the onset.
He said that such policy, if effectively implemented, would encourage people coming to those areas to imbibe proper waste disposal habits.