Nnewi And The Challenges Of Waste Management

Waste management appears to have become a serious environmental challenge in the industrial city of Nnewi Anambra state. Dump sites have become a common sight to behold across the town. Heaps of festering waste dumps is in almost every nooks and crannies.

The growing dignity, beauty, image, class and elegance of the industrial city of Nnewi is gradually being lost with these heaps of waste adorning the city.

While the attitude of the people in disposing waste is discouraging, the leadership of the town, the government and her environmental agencies should bear the major blame.

The inability of residents in the town to have periodic services rendered by the waste management agency have made waste items find its way to the streets, thereby constituting environmental and health problems reflected in clogged waterways, waste packs littering the streets and possible outbreak of diseases.

Nnewi as a town has also failed to provide a land for the establishment of integrated waste management facility in the town.

This is made worse as most of the government approved dump sites are located across the major roads in Nnewi. Some of the refuse dump sites are located at Emecourt Road Junction, Izuchukwu Junction, St. Marys, Okigwe Road, Nnobi Road, Ibeto Junction, Anglican girls Junction and a whole lot of other locations in Nnewi which are close to residential buildings and major drainage channels in the city.

Lack of refuse collection has made drivers trying to avoid the refuse sites veer off the road and cause accident.

During rainy season, debris and water block drainages and washes away part of the roads, thereby creating gullies, potholes, flooding and causing erosion.

There is an urgent need to take responsible steps to address the issue of waste management in Nnewi. There must be a change in the approach to the issues of waste management in Nnewi.

The leadership of Nnewi must provide land for the establishment of integrated waste management facility in the town currently being advocated and facilitated by Hon. Chris Azubogu, the member representing Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency in the House of Representative.

The proposal is already in the 2018 budget of the federal government, but the inability of Nnewi town to provide land for the facility may stunt the project. The project will have a waste management processing facilities. This will help in electricity generation, recycling of waste and many more.

There must be a clear departure in the method of disposal and collection of refuse in the city. Nnewi is highly populated and will require daily collection of refuse to avoid spillover.

The leadership of Nnewi in collaboration with the government must also create new dump sites at strategic places in the town to replace the existing ones.

More motorised bins, plastic receptacles, waste bags and other refuse evacuation materials should be provided.

There must be a redefined approach in sensitization and awareness program in order to redirect the attitude of Nnewi residents to stop disposing waste indiscriminately within the city.

This public awareness must have the intensity to command change of attitude. The residents must be trained on how to separate their waste, organic and inorganic waste.

It is time for the government to explore  ways of converting the waste in Nnewi into a money spinning venture to create jobs for the unemployed populace.

An effective and efficient waste management in Nnewi will help boost the economy of the town with a fairer and more inclusive society and a cleaner environment.

Ebubechukwuzuloke Brown, Nnewi, Anambra State