The Nasarawa State Waste Management and Sanitation Authority (NASWAMSA) has warned traders in the Mararba and Masaka areas of Karu Local Government Area and other parts of the state to desist from selling their items by the roadside.

Abubakar Madaki, the director-general of NASWAMSA, gave the warning in a statement by Yusuf Gurku, the agency’s spokesperson, on Monday in Karu.

Mr Madaki decried the rise in roadside trading in some parts of the state, stating that the trend contributed to the gridlock usually experienced by motorists on major roads.

He said the warning became imperative, adding that the trend was contributing to the sanitation problem in the state.

The director-general also called on motorists to desist from indiscriminate parking on the Abuja-Keffi highway, insisting that such practice also contributed to the traffic congestion around the Mararaba and Masaka axis.

“Any motorist or trader caught disobeying this order will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

The director-general also cautioned residents against illegal waste dumping, noting that it was unlawful.

He maintained that such unwholesome practices harmed the environment and posed serious risks to human health.

“Even with the skyrocketing practice of illegal dumping, there are officially designated areas with properly integrated waste management systems that should be used for dumping, yet some people are very recalcitrant.

”We can no longer allow such illegality to continue,” he said.

The NASWAMSA boss urged residents of the state to imbibe the habit of keeping their immediate environment clean and desist from dumping waste on water channels.

(NAN)