Calabar residents groan as refuse heaps overrun city, Governor fumes

IDONGESIT INYANG, CALABAR

The Calabar Urban Development Authority is addressing the increase in refuse heaps by evacuating waste from major streets and points, with Governor Bassey Otu and Chief Effiong Ayi emphasizing the need for immediate action to maintain the city’s cleanliness and prevent further environmental issues.

The Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA), has embarked on an extensive waste evacuation exercise across major streets and refuse collection points within the metropolis following resident’s serious complains and concern over increase in refuse heaps.

Of recent, the heaps have so increased in some densely populated areas, particularly markets and commercial centres with bins located near busy junctions and markets.

Residents have raised concerns that the bins sometimes obstruct traffic and create unpleasant odours when not evacuated promptly.

Others, however, have cautioned against relocating the bins too far from residential areas, warning that it could encourage indiscriminate dumping on roadsides and gutters

Reacting to the development during supervision with CUDA officials, the Special Adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba, said, the governor was unhappy about the sanitation lapse and has ordered immediate intervention to address the situation.

Akiba said that the Governor has expressed dissatisfaction over the recent build-up of refuse in parts of Calabar metropolis and has directed relevant authorities to take immediate action to restore the city’s long-standing reputation as one of Nigeria’s cleanest urban centres.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of CUDA, Chief Effiong Ayi, who was on an inspection tour of refuse dump sites in the city, told Journalists in Calabar that the agency has intensified efforts to clear accumulated waste and ensure proper sanitation across the capital city.

According to him, the recent refuse build-up was largely due to mechanical challenges affecting some waste evacuation equipment, noting that the sanitation system in the city relies heavily on mechanized operations.

To address the challenge, he said the authority adopted a systematic evacuation approach by dividing the metropolis into operational zones to ensure efficient waste removal.

The CUDA boss also blamed scavengers for contributing to the littering of refuse around collection points, explaining that some individuals scatter waste in search of recyclable materials after the bins have been arranged.

He further lamented that some residents fail to comply with the approved waste disposal time of 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., stressing that indiscriminate dumping during the day makes evacuation more difficult.