By Hauwa Ali
The government and the people of Lagos face significant challenges when it comes to the proper disposal of waste. In Lagos, where the number of people living in cities is growing at an exponential rate, managing trash seems to be a bigger problem than in other cities.
Lagos floods when it rains because people throw trash into stormwater, gutters, and ditches on the side of the road. Because the open gutters and drainage haven’t been taken care of, the situation has gotten very bad.
In Ikoyi, this was the situation with the drainage that ran alongside the Falomo police barracks.
NatureNews reports that the drainage that runs from Falomo barracks all the way through to Bourdillon Road was filled with plastic bottles and other waste materials. People were also urinating and going to the bathroom in the open, which made the area smell bad.
The part of the drainage system where the trash goes was exposed, but the rest of the drainage system was covered.
It looks like the open part of the drainage is used both as a place to dump trash and as a public toilet.
Bilkiss Shaibu, a local resident who lives in the barracks, disclosed to Naturenews that the owners of the businesses that line the road are the ones who are responsible for dumping garbage in the drainage system.
“Those who live in the barracks are not the ones who are throwing dirt in the drainage; rather, it is those who own the shops in this area.” Over there, close to the bridge, is a garbage can into which we can throw our trash, and then employees from the local government will come and pack it.
But you see, these people that own the shops, particularly those that are close to this uncovered part, when they sweep their dirty, they just pour it in the drainage because the dustbin close to the bridge is far and they do not want to leave their shops. ” This was explained by Shaibu.
A woman who went by the name of Rosemary and owned a shop was quoted as saying, “It’s not all of us that engage in throwing dirty clothes down the drainage.” A few of us are equipped with large bags that we use to collect trash before transporting it to the primary garbage can. I believe that the majority of the time, those who throw dirt in the drainage are the people who are passing by and the mallams who sell things at the junction that leads to the hospital.
Because it is such a problem for such a high-brow area as Ikoyi, the government has an obligation to take action in this regard.
This kind of ugly scene is also prevalent in other regions of the state, with the exception of government-reserved areas and private estates in the metropolitan area, which are typically kept free from the indiscriminate dumping of waste because of their proximity to elite neighbourhoods.
The government needs to teach people, especially those in the “average” or “poor” population, how to properly get rid of trash so that the drainage system stays in good shape and people use it the right way.
It is a common sight to see people throwing their trash out of moving vehicles on the road, which is a sign that the culture of disobedience is affecting a significant number of residents of Lagos. Because children observe adults engaging in this behaviour, they grow up to believe that it is the appropriate thing to do; consequently, the cycle continues.
It is thought that about 85 people move to Lagos every day, and as a result, the government doesn’t do a good job of keeping the city’s facilities in good condition. shape. Rapid urban growth and the expansion of the city to meet rising needs have also happened without much oversight.
According to our research, this occurred back in the “good old colonial days.” The Public Works Department (PWD) was a key colonial organization that was based in Lagos, which was Nigeria’s capital at the time.
PWD employed Nigerians who were well-educated and experienced in their fields to work for the PWD, which was run and supervised by people from other countries.
PWD was given the job of building, maintaining, and making sure that all public services and utilities that are needed for civil and building engineering in Lagos and the rest of the country are in good shape.
The mapping was done correctly. Rivers and the water courses that connected to and drained into the rivers were also mapped very accurately, which is a requirement for any urbanisation that is planned. Because of this, Lagos grew, and so did the amount of civil engineering and construction work that needed to be done.
Every single one of the waterways, water courses, storm drains, and culverts was located exactly where it should have been. They were constructed with the purpose of withstanding the recurrent wet seasons. When the dry season starts, there is always a big maintenance and inspection program that is done thoroughly. As part of this program, any trash and mud that built up during the rainy season will be cleaned up. For a brief period of time after the country gained its independence, everything was brought up to par and continued to operate normally for a brief period of time before it fell apart.
Nigeria’s civil war caused a lot of problems for the government and caused government infrastructure to fall apart. In terms of keeping the country’s public utilities running, Nigeria has still not fully recovered from that terrible time.
The PWD needs to be brought back to life and run according to the model set up by the colonial government. This will at least ensure that the drainage systems are maintained across the whole country.
Lagos residents need to change the way they think if they want to stop throwing trash carelessly down drains. The government has to do things like make people more aware of the law and give harsh punishments to people who break it.
