We Have Concluded Arrangements to Ensure Waste Is Bagged for Collection – Catechist Jonah

By Izuchukwu Nwokoma

The Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA, Umuahia Zone, Catechist Ambrose Jonah, says the acquisition of trucks, compactors, and rollers has helped the agency deliver on the mandate given by Governor Alex Otti.

He said Umuahia and other parts of the state are now free from the offensive odour that once characterised the streets, insisting that Governor Otti has empowered ASEPA to give Abia a facelift in environmental management.

Speaking to Business Hallmark on the agency’s activities, Catechist Jonah admitted that ASEPA has not yet reached its ultimate goal, but significant progress has been made under Governor Otti.

“We must give kudos to the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, for his support to ASEPA. Without his support, I tell you, we could not have achieved anything these years. We have been able to achieve a lot within this period, despite the fact that we have not gotten to where we expect to be,” he said.

Catechist Jonah said the agency has high hopes of commencing house-to-house waste collection in the Umuahia zone. He emphasised that this would ease the pressure on receptacles placed along roads and streets in Umuahia.

He also said the agency is working on modalities to ensure that waste is bagged before disposal.

“We are seriously working on that, as it will enable people to bag their waste before disposing of it. We have purchased trucks, compactors, and rollers to help us deliver. Our target is to start house-to-house collection of waste, which will reduce pressure on all our receptacles on the roads. We also have a plan to ensure that waste is bagged.

“By this time next week, we will have some pickup buses to help us start our normal house-to-house collection of waste,” he said.

Explaining how the house-to-house collection will work, Catechist Jonah said it will focus on estates and organised streets in the state.

“It will be mainly in most of the estates and well-organized places where we do not have the opportunity to keep receptacles. So, we have started sensitising residents on how to package their waste. In some of these areas, it will be done twice every week. All we need to do is move within these streets and estates. If we tell them the time, they will bag their waste,” he explained.

Catechist Jonah also revealed that the agency has acquired dumpsites, including the one at Ntigha. He said ASEPA is working hard to keep the sites clean, which is helping the agency deliver on its mandate.

He added that the engagement of ad-hoc staff is key to the agency’s success, noting that they are kitted with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, to work effectively.

“If you go to one of the sites, especially the one at Ntigha, you won’t perceive any offensive odour. We fumigate it regularly with vector control measures. We have engaged more ad-hoc workers, and we pay them promptly. We also provide all the necessary PPEs they need to work. So, we are actually doing well,” he said.

Speaking on the practice of dumping refuse in drainages, especially during rainfall, Catechist Jonah said the agency has concluded arrangements to arrest offenders. He emphasised that a mobile court has been set up to try those caught, warning that it is a serious offence.

“We have mapped out strategies to curtail this practice. Our field workers and monitoring team have been trained for it. All they need to do is position themselves whenever it wants to rain. We have set up a mobile court, and anyone caught doing that will be taken to court,” he said.

He urged communities in need of ASEPA buckets to officially write to the agency, adding that ASEPA will not tolerate the attitude of littering the streets of Umuahia with refuse.

Catechist Jonah also revealed plans to invite Presidents-General of different communities in Umuahia to help sensitize their people on maintaining a healthy environment.

“We have a plan to invite some PGs from some communities. If you visit some communities outside Umuahia and Aba, you will notice that these areas are very unkept. So we want to involve them. We have a plan to involve at least one person from each community to be part of what ASEPA is doing. That person will be our eyes in such communities,” he said.

He called on Abians to rally round Governor Alex Otti, saying that under his watch, Abia has been recognised as one of the neatest states in the country. He insisted that the governor has not finished his good plans for Abia State.