The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) on Thursday called for the reintroduction of monthly sanitation to tackle flooding in the state.
Abubakar Hassan, Executive Secretary of the agency, stated this during an assessment tour of flood-prone communities within the metropolis.
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Hassan described the level of indiscriminate waste disposal as worrisome.
He said that from their assessment, residents in all locations visited were still dumping refuse in drains despite the various sensitisation efforts.
“Residents are not heeding to the call to clean their environment. So, I will continue to advocate for closure of activities once a month for environmental sanitation.
“We will continue to do this until residents begin to voluntarily clean their environment without being forced,’’ he said.
Hassan said that the essence of the assessment tour was to ascertain the water level and ensure that residents read and understand the different hazard signs to know when there was a major threat coming their way.
He, however, said there was a need for sustained action in terms of information dissemination for people to be aware of the dangers on how their behavioral patterns affect every citizen.
He pointed out that the rains come with health issues like cholera, malaria and typhoid which are associated with environmental hygiene due to indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Hassan listed the communities visited to include Kawo, Badarawa, Constitution Road, Kigo Road, Bachama Road and Unguwar Rimi.
He said with the current dredging of Kaduna River along Kigo Road, the area may not encounter flooding this year as the impact of dredging had reduced the level of water.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agency and its stakeholders also evacuated drains in the areas visited. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)