Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has warned that in order to avoid an outbreak of epidemy in Apapa and its environs, there is need for concerned authorities to provide an access for waste managers under the Private Sector Participation (PSP) to clean up the environment.
The agency in a press statement raised the alarm over what it called the continuous degeneration of quality of life through collapse of public hygiene and waste management services in the Apapa area.
The agency said the deplorable condition of the environment at Apapa occasioned by the inaccessibility of the roads for LAWMA vehicles in the area, had become a source of worry for the organisation.
LAWMA said in recent times, it has intensified efforts to rid the state of backlog of wastes, which are known to have defaced the environment, saying it has deployed trucks across the state to stem the tide of indiscriminate dumping of refuse, as well as engaged the Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to tackle wastes at household level.
The statement added that efforts by the Authority to extend its services to Apapa are being hampered by articulated trucks, which had made the road impassable for LAWMA and PSP operators.
“Our findings showed a general degradation of the environment in the area and a looming epidemy, if the situation is not quickly addressed"
"Owing to this situation, LAWMA sweepers cannot work efficiently there; people bathe and defecate on the road, thus wearing out the asphalt. The roads have also been turned into mechanic workshops where major repairs of heavy trucks are carried out, spilling engine oil and diesel on same road"
“To avert the outbreak of epidemy in the area, there is need for the authorities concerned to clear Apapa for smooth operation by our operatives. Residents are thus called upon to support LAWMA in this effort to save this crucial part of the state from the continuous degradation,” the statement read.
LAWMA appealed to the authorities in Apapa to take urgent steps to address this critical issue for the sake of the environment and people who do their businesses there, adding that the agency’s goal is to achieve a cleaner and healthier Lagos.
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