Oyo State Government in its bid to build an effective waste management system in line with international best practices has created additional two landfills situated at Igbokanda Village in Ido local lovernment area and Morowona Village at Akinyele local government area.
The Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Dr Bashir Olanrewaju disclosed this during an inspection tour of the existing landfills at Awotan and Ajakanga in Ibadan.
Olanrewaju, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ademola Ajibola and members of the state refuse management team, said five transfer loading stations have also been added to the existing stations to ease the loading of refuse across the state.
The loading stations are located at Opawole community in Ido Local government area; Ajao community in Oluyole local government area; Arinakuta village in Egbeda local government area and Adedokun village, Lagelu local government area.
According to him, the moves were aimed at decongesting the existing refuse landfills at Lapite, Awotan, Ajakanga, Abeeku and Sabo municipals as a result of complaints made by the residents of these communities.
His words: “As far as waste management is concerned, it is mandatory for us as a government in ensuring safe and healthy environment that will not be harmful to the well being of the citizens in the state.
“These new sites will help decongest the mass of refuse at those other areas and we will relocate from sites where people have built houses around the area to avoid creating health hazard, that is the essence of the new sites.
“We are currently working on the
drainage system and a good road network around the refuse area to avert liquid wastes finding its way into people’s homes while also ensuring that vehicles have easy access to the site.
“It is also our intention to collaborate with the community members in the treatment of their wells towards ensuring that their water is not polluted. As a matter of fact, fumigation of the refuse areas is ongoing and the team had held meetings with the landlord association of the landfill area as well the scavengers association in order to achieve sustainable waste management process that will be beneficial to all.”
He said the new transfer loading stations would be a support mechanism to the landfills while environmental waste disposal technologies would be deployed in separating the waste, thereby creating jobs through recycling.
He added that the move was also a way of mobilizing members of the community who actually generate the wastes to avert environmental pollution and ecological degradation as a result of mismanagement of wastes.
Speaking, Ajibola stated that as a matter of urgency, the ministry would initiate the acquisition procedures of the new landfills and transfer loading stations. He further said this would entail the proper enumeration of the land area and disbursement of adequate compensations to legitimate land owners where necessary before it would be finally handed over to the Ministry of Environment for use.
Meanwhile, a representative of the Landlord Association at Awotan, Mr. Ayoade Fagbemi expressed gratitude to the state government for responding immediately to the request for the clearing of the drainage system in their area.
He assured the government that residents of Awotan would continue to support the ministry in achieving its mandate of a safe and clean environmeant.
