Following the outbreak of cholera in the country, the Ogun State government has threatened to close down any market found guilty of improper waste disposal and dirty environment.
Special Adviser to the Government who doubles as the Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority OGWAMA, Abayomi Hunye made the threat during a meeting with executives and members of the Ogun State Association of Market Men and Women in Abeokuta.
Hunye stated that to combat the cholera outbreak, proper waste disposal and general cleanliness of markets must be considered.
He maintained that improper waste disposal in marketplaces breeds flies, rodents, and vectors that infest goods sold to the general public thereby causing residents to contract unwanted diseases.
Hunye explained that waste occasionally clogs drainage channels leading to unnecessary erosion and air pollution, advising traders to make use of the waste PSP operators provided by the government.
“In Ogun state, the government has provided big waste collection bins in most of the markets with some serviced by Waste PSP Operators, so the traders in various markets have no reason not to properly dispose of their waste”
“However some of the traders with their market leaders looking away, dump their waste in their immediate surroundings especially on drainage channels in front of their shops or stalls thereby blocking them which will lead to unnecessary erosion when it rains and create offensive odour in the market space”
“To make matters worse, some markets create illegal dump-sites within their space, especially at the back which have become a haven for rodents, vectors and flies which feeds and perch on their commodities that they sell to the public”
“These illegal dumpsites aside from aiding the spread of diseases also lead to fire outbreaks in markets notably that of Lafenwa Market in Abeokuta months back. So the state government will not allow such issues to happen in any of its markets hence the need for proper waste disposal as any market found flouting this directive will be shut” he said.
He urged the market men and women to instil the spirit of proper waste disposal in their respective markets and work with the Ogun State Waste Management Authority.
Cholera: Ogun to shut markets over improper waste disposal
