Sanwo-Olu has declared ‘small state of emergency’ on waste management in Lagos.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared what he described as a “small state of emergency” on waste management across the state, following mounting pressure on waste collection and disposal.
Sanwo-Olu made the declaration on Wednesday during an inspection of the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, Lagos, where he was accompanied by Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, and Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.
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The inspection was aimed at assessing operational challenges at the dumpsite and implementing immediate, medium and long-term measures to address the waste management challenges confronting the metropolis.
The governor acknowledged the recent strain on waste collection, which he said had contributed to the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in several parts of Lagos.
“We are here for ourselves to see what the problem is and what is happening, so that we can clearly declare what we will call a small state of emergency,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He explained that the intervention was necessary to address the situation and restore effective waste collection and disposal across the state.
As part of measures to clear the backlog, the Lagos State Government plans to increase the daily intake capacity of the Olusosun dumpsite from between 250 and 350 trucks to between 350 and 450 trucks.
According to the governor, this will be achieved by increasing the number of active tipping points at the facility from two to as many as five.
Sanwo-Olu also disclosed that interventions would be carried out at other waste disposal sites, including Solu 3, Iwulepe in Ikorodu, Oke-Osho in Epe and Erikitte in Badagry.
The governor said the state government expects to have four active dumpsites within six weeks, namely Olusosun, Solu 3, Iwulepe and Oke-Osho, with Erikitte in Badagry expected to serve as a fifth site.
“We are hoping that in another six weeks, we will have four active dump sites, Olusosun, Solu 3, Iwulepe and Oke-Osho with a fifth one at Erikitte in Badagry,” he said.
He said increasing the number of operational dumpsites would improve the turnaround time for waste trucks and reduce the pressure on individual disposal facilities.
“What that will do is enhance and improve the turnaround of trucks on the various roads, so that they do not come to one dump site and spend 12 hours or even an entire day before they can discharge,” Sanwo-Olu added.
The state government’s intervention is expected to ease the current waste collection backlog and improve sanitation across Lagos.
