Communities within Jikwoyi and Karshi in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) have continued to be overwhelmed by decaying garbage due to poor waste evacuation, as the regulatory body, Satellite Town Development Department (STDD), fails to take action despite the health implications.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the lack of strategically placed waste collection bins and overall negligence jeopardises public health, pollute the environment, blocks the road, and leave vulnerable communities to suffer dire consequences.
Mrs Helen Ejembi’s home stood just a distance from the collection bin and huge, indiscriminate dumpsite that had become a source of concern for her and the community. When LEADERSHIP visited the area, the dumpsite had covered half of the road with smelling water from the waste.
Ejembi placed the blame on the STDD, accusing the agency of gross negligence and appalling approach to waste management. However residents had repeatedly pleaded with the authority to relocate the garbage bin, but their appeals were ignored.
She highlighted the agency’s failure to clear the waste regularly, leaving the area overflowing with garbage for months and enveloping the neighbourhood in nauseating stench and blockage of the road.
Ejembi said, ” The worst part is that, they leave the waste unattended for so long, allowing the pile to grow and the environment to smell.”
Similarly, Ene Moses a food vendor also re- echoed her frustration, that she suffered different setbacks in her business over the years due to the negligence of STDD in the management of the waste.
“Many people have stop patronising me because of the dirt. Besides that, people are now forced to pour dirt on the ground. I have been managing the dumpsite by paying some people to clear it backwards for the sake of my customers, she said.
