Residents of states in the South-East region have called on relevant government authorities to enforce stricter environmental sanitation measures to protect people’s health and well-being.

Respondents interviewed by correspondents in Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi urged authorities to strictly enforce environmental laws to address the deplorable state of public health in the states.

A food vendor in Onitsha, Anambra, Veronica Umunna, said the poor attitude to sanitation by most residents should be a major concern to all.

“Most homeless people in Onitsha and other parts of the state defecate along the roads, inside drainages and refuse dumps without recourse to public health.

“The government should clamp down on these unsavoury acts by strictly enforcing relevant environmental and sanitation laws, to safeguard public health,” she said.

A landlord in Onitsha, Elvis Office, decried residents’ poor attitude to environmental sanitation and faulted local and state government authorities for failing to curb the trend.

“People evacuate waste into drainages, while most households’ soakaway pits spill contents onto the streets when they get filled and unevacuated.

“This should elicit commitment from relevant authorities through regular inspection, enlightenment of the public, arrests, prosecution and punishment of offenders,” he said.

The Commissioner for Environment in Anambra, Clem Aguiyi, acknowledged the citizens’ concerns, noting that the government was handling the situation to prevent the system from grinding to a halt.

Mr Aguiyi said plans were underway to recruit support staff to strengthen the ministry’s capacity due to a manpower shortage in the sanitation and public health department.

“The job is enormous, and we have most LGAs in the state, for instance, having less than six desk officers carrying out inspection services.

“The government cannot, however, employ people without making provisions for their remuneration and operational mobility, among others,” he said.

Residents of Enugu blamed the unsavoury environmental health situation in the state on underperformance and a lack of “on-the-spot” environmental sanitary officers.

The respondents said environmental sanitary officers only respond when called, thereby failing in their inspection duties.

Joy Eze, a shop owner in the Agbani Road area of the capital, said the officers often move around streets without actually performing their duties.

‎”The officers should actually be seen in people’s compounds, ascertaining their environmental status and enlightening them on the need for cleanliness,” she said.

A butcher at the Garki Market, Enugu, Okechukwu Ani, however, acknowledged the visible presence of environmental officers at the market’s abattoir but called for intensified inspections.

“This development keeps butchers at the abattoir on their toes, but we call for intensified inspection due to the volume of activities at the facility,” he said.

‎The State Commissioner for Health, George Ugwu, said the state government has intensified efforts to make the department more functional and widen its scope through the “One Health Approach” concept.

“Top officials of the ministry are presently consulting with our partners and officials of the ministries of agriculture and agro-Industrialisation, environment, among others, on the issue.

“We would soon make the state uninhabitable for anyone engaging in activities that are injurious to human, animal and environmental health,” he said.

‎‎The Ebonyi government, in the bid to address complaints arising from poor environmental sanitation, has recruited 22 new environmental health workers.

‎The state Commissioner for Environment, Sylvester Nwite, told journalists that the measure was to bolster manpower for improved environmental sanitation across the state.

Mr Nwite said the officers’ duties include maintaining environmental and personal hygiene, providing health-related education, advocacy, public enlightenment, and inspecting surroundings to ensure cleanliness.

‎The Head of Department, Environmental Health Services, Jacinta Uzoke, added that the officers have the power to seal premises where property owners fail to comply with environmental health directives.

“The officers firstly visit affected areas to identify environmental nuisances, then issue abatement notices, specifying the nuisance and the location.

“Offenders are given a stipulated period to comply with the directives, and after failing to comply, they are charged to court for prosecution.

“Structural nuisances which involve buildings and other physical structures usually take longer to abate while non-structural nuisances involving common human-related offences require shorter abating periods,” she said.

The chairman of the Kpirikpiri Market Butchers Association in Abakaliki, Jonathan Nwali, called for intensified inspections at both slaughtering and meat-selling points of abattoirs.

Mr Nwali said inspection officers had directed butchers to stop using vehicle tyres for meat roasting because of their harmful effects on meat.
“Environmental cleanliness is everyone’s business, and no effort should be spared in attaining it,” he said.

(NAN)