A growing concern has emerged regarding the issue of indiscriminate refuse disposal plaguing a drainage canal located across from Adebola Idowu Street in the Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos.
Upon visiting the site on Thursday, our reporter witnessed a distressing sight – the canal was completely blocked with a mass of refuse, predominantly comprising disposable Styrofoam and plastics.
Moreover, the stagnant water in the canal was spilling over onto the road, causing damage and impeding the flow of traffic in the area.
One of the traders, Maria Yusuf, shared with PUNCH Metro: “In the evenings, I often witness individuals casually tossing their garbage into the canal as I leave work late. When it accumulates excessively, we sometimes join forces to clear it up.”
“Whenever it rains, the water is unable to flow freely, leading to widespread flooding. We have resorted to using sawdust-filled cement bags to mark out passable routes on the waterlogged road. This flooding situation is unprecedented,” she added.
A bus driver known as Segun Akanbi remarked on how the road damage was attributed to the overflow from the canal onto the street.
“The gradual deterioration of this road began when the canal became obstructed after heavy rainfall, resulting in water pooling on the road’s surface. The road appears to be sinking in that specific area,” he observed.
A local resident, Poopola David, implied that even food vendors and merchants in the vicinity contributed to the indiscriminate dumping of waste into the canal. He mentioned, “If you pay close attention, these traders lack designated waste disposal bins. Once their business day is done, they thoughtlessly discard the waste into the canal. We are all collectively responsible, not only those contributing large quantities of refuse.”
David pleaded with the authorities to enforce penalties on anyone caught in the act to serve as a deterrent. He advocated for strict enforcement through fines or imprisonment, believing that such measures would discourage future waste disposal in the area.
Despite various attempts to contact Sade Kadiri, the Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos Waste Management Authority via phone calls and text messages, no response had been received at the time of reporting.
PUNCH Metro had previously disclosed that officials from the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources had initiated the demolition of structures constructed on drainage systems in the Ojota and Ogudu regions of the state.
In a statement released on Monday, the ministry’s Director of Public Affairs, Kunle Adeshina, clarified that the demolition ensued after property owners failed to comply with the earlier issued notices to remove the offending structures.