Nasarawa Sanitation Agency Ignores New Nyanya Refuse Dump Despite Residents’ Appeal

Despite repeated appeals by residents to the Nasarawa State Waste Management and Sanitation Agency and the Ministry of Environment to evacuate a huge refuse dump at New Nyanya, no action has yet been taken on it months after.

The refuse dump at Double Pole Area in front of a school, Leadway Academy at New Nyanya, has become a spot for open defecation. Close to the badly smelling dump, there are shops where food and beverages, including the locally prepared burukutu, are sold amid deluge of flies.

During a visit to the area, our correspondent saw many children picking objects from the dump site while others played nearby.

Beside the site are three churches, Leadway Academy and Hero Hotel. Residents said they had at several times appealed to the state waste management and sanitation agency and ministry of environment to, in line with the Keep Nasarawa Clean campaign of the state government, help evacuate the refuse and sanitise the spot.

In spite of the appeals, they said, no official of the agency or ministry has shown up to assess the impact of the menace or taken any action on it in view of the health risks.

Residents who spoke to LEADERSHIP said the state government appeared to be carrying out the sanitation campaign only in preferred areas, and not in every part of the state, resulting in complete neglect of their calls to evacuate the refuse.

“We have complained and appealed for help to clean up the place; even if it is cleared without government intervention, people will still continue to dump refuse there, but the government agency has not taken any action on it, the refuse dump is getting larger every day, and the worst aspect is that some people have turned it into a spot for open defecation despite the fact that there are residential houses, a children’s school and about four churches around there,” a woman, Mrs Monica Okonkwo, said.

Another resident, Moses Christopher, said; “The government says it is carrying out a campaign on clean environment, but just take a look at this place, how does the campaign reflect here? They only clean up places they like.” Other residents who spoke raised similar concerns and appealed to the state authorities to come over there and help them.