The Lagos
Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), has served 343 contravention notices on
construction sites at various locations around the state in the last one year.
Commissioner
for The Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this at
on-going ministerial press briefing to mark one year of the second term of
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration, in Alausa, Ikeja.
He said the
notices were served on them for not complying with the construction waste regulation
procedure supervised by LAWMA.
Wahab added that 354 new introductions notices were issued to construction firms within the same period while enforcement was carried out on 10 recalcitrant sites.
According to
him, "LAWMA in the last one year has served no less than 343 contravention
notices on construction firms at various locations in the state, for not
complying with the rules and regulations governing construction waste
management. It is the responsibility of the Construction Demolition and Disaster
Waste Department of LAWMA, to work with construction firms, for smooth
evacuation of waste generated by them. But some of them are not playing by the
rules, hence the notices".
Speaking
further, he said the agency identified 103 black spots around the state, which
LAWMA at various times mobilised its operations men to clear.
He said,
"It is a sad commentary that despite
persistent public awareness, warnings and actual enforcements, some
residents still refuse to patronise assigned PSP operators, preferring to dump
waste in canals, on road medians and other illegal points. This habit must
stop".
The
commissioner also disclosed that LAWMA, through the Ministry of The Environment
and Water Resources, had signed an MoU with the State Government and Jospong
Group, on waste treatment solutions.
He noted
that the MoU entailed identifying existing landfill sites, for proper
re-engineering of solid waste management system, to generate employment.
Still on the activities of LAWMA in the last one year, he intimated that the agency had worked with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), to identify locations for the installation of plastic recycling facilities, adding that the move was aimed at mass removal of plastic items from the environment, and for job creation.
He stated
further, that the Marine Unit of LAWMA,
had additional 5 rafters within the last one year, to aid the collection of
on-shore and off-shore waste.
On markets
in the state, he noted that LAWMA had a year round stakeholders engagement,
considerably improving hygiene practices, waste containerisation and evacuation
among others.
Wahab
reminded residents who indulge in defacing the environment, that LAWMA, within
the time under review, apprehended and prosecuted about 1,100 defaulters, a
majority of whom were sentenced to hours of community service or fined various
sums of money.
He contended
that to sustain the current momentum of achievements by the agency,
stakeholders engagement, public enlightenment must continue on all media
platforms, sending messages on efficient waste management best practices to all
strata of society.
The
commissioner commended LAWMA Academy for continuously expanding its reach of
pupils for waste management education, which
averaged 1,400 pupils in eight primary schools across the state.
Wahab lauded
LAWMA for prioritising 24-hour response time to complaints, urging residents to
shun reckless waste disposal at unauthorised locations, to avoid harsh
environmental consequences as the rains approach.
Folashade
Kadiri
Director,
Public Affairs,
LAWMA
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