The Enugu State government has closed down a dump site in Ugwuaji, Enugu South Local Government area as it was not approved for use by the appropriate agencies of government.
Prince Emeka Mamah, Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Enugu State, stormed the community following a video clip in the social media that gave the impression that the state government designated the place for use by sewage tanker drivers and that the discharged waste was finding its way into the community’s river.
But upon questioning the tanker drivers and members of the community that were met at the site, the Commissioner and his team discovered that the arrangement to use the place as a dumpsite was a commercial transaction between the community and the tanker drivers, and that the waste was not going anywhere near a river.
Notwithstanding, the state government ordered the immediate closure of the dumpsite and directed the tanker drivers to be using the government approved sewage site at the Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA) dump site, Enugu.
Statement by the Honorable Commissioner reads in full:
Consequent upon the video clip trending in the social media over a sewage dump site at Ugwuaji, in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, which was described by the presenter as “a site the tanker drivers said was designated to them by the state government”, a team from the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, led by my humble self, as the Commissioner, paid an unscheduled visit to the site and discovered the following:
1. That the sewage site in the said video was not the property of the Enugu State Government neither was it designated to the tanker drivers by the state government as was erroneously alleged.
2. The tanker drivers we met on ground disposing sewage confirmed the above, and disclosed that it was the people of Ugwuaji community that gave them the site to be dumping sewage, on commercial purposes.
3. The Ugwuaji community through the Vice Chairman of the committee in charge of the site, Mr. Chukwudi Edeh, also confirmed that they allocated the area to the tanker drivers for disposal of sewage on commercial basis.
4. That both the tanker drivers and the community frowned at the false impression created by the makers of the video that the dump site was connected to a river, stating that there is no such river around the vicinity and added that the area is still virgin as people were not residing anywhere close to it.
From the representations made by the tanker drivers and Ugwuaji community, it is clearly established that the activities of both parties at the said site were unauthorized by any agency of the government but a mutual agreement between them.
Consequently, we order the closure of the sewage dump site with immediate effect and request the affected persons to channel their sewage to the government approved sewage site at the Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA) dump site, Enugu.
We, therefore, reassure residents of the state of government’s commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment.
Signed:
Prince Emeka Mamah
Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources
Enugu State
