By Our Reporter
Lagos State Government has advocated for proper management of dump sites to mitigate environmental hazarads, health risks and to make the environment sustainable.
The government noted that the mangement of solid waste has become crucial, especially with the growing impact of pollution caused by carbon emissions on the environment.
State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab made the call while delivering his remarks during a waste-to-energy summit on Wednesday, in Lagos.
Represented by the Managing Director, Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the commissioner cited the example of Lagos and its rapidly growing population of over 20 million and daily waste generation of 30,000 tons, which necessitated the need for proper mangement of dump sites.
Speaking during the summit, the Chief Executive Officer, Rock Centre, a co-sponsor of the summit, Lars Johannison, said the commitments of the centre to its sustainability agenda in its operations motivated his involvement in the summit.
According to Johannison, sustainability of the environment is the reason why the centre factors energy efficiency not only through the source of energy used but also in the design and materials for expansion of its data centre campus.
Giving his data centre operations as an example, Johannison stated that the centre places utmost priority on energy efficiency, especially as seen in the way it measures energy consumption and other key metrics in data centre operatioans.
He urged participants atthe summit to embrace renewable energy for a better planet while he advised Nigerians, including the businesses, to find alternative ways of using enery that would make the environment sustainable.
” There are other ways we can ensure that we are energy-efficient in our homes and contribute to the sustainability agenda for our economy. Renewable energy is something that we need to start looking into aggressively.
”We must move away from the old ways of powering not just our homes but also our businesses, nd ensure that we move clearly, in line with the agenda, bringing in a good mix of renewables,” he said.
In his view, the convener of of the waste-to-energy summit, Dolapo Olaoluwa, who spoke on the the theme: ”Driving Environment Sustainability,” explained that the need to organise the summit arose after observation and experience working the Olusosun landfill at Ojota.
Olaoluwa acknowledged the need for governments in Nigeria to follow global practices in turning waste generated by the people into energy noting that countries such as Germany and Singapore have successfully integrated waste-to-energy technologies into their national grids, providing a source of providing a reliable source of renewable energy.