Anambra State residents have lamented government’s shutting of designated dumpsites.

They said the decision to seal off the sites without alternative arrangements had led to dumping of refuse, particularly inside drainages and waterways.

The government had announced plans to ban street dumping of wastes with effect from September 30.

The Managing Director, Anambra State Waste Management Authority (ASWAMA), Mike Ozoemena, at a meeting with environmental health officers across the 21 local governments, said house-to-house collection of refuse would be activated after the ban.

He said 31 contractors had been engaged in taking refuse off the street, stressing that the move is targeted at ensuring that the state becomes one of the cleanest in the country by December.

But residents, who spokeon the issue, queried the rationale behind sealing off the existing dumpsites ahead of the ban, describing it as counterproductive.

They admitted being aware of government’s plans to replace street dumping with house-to-house refuse collection, but said they were yet to see the collectors in their areas.

“Why not ensure the effectiveness of the house-to-house arrangement before closing the existing dumpsites entirely? We will soon see the repercussions of this decision.”

Another resident, a trader at Ochanja market, who simply identified herself as Charity, said: “I learnt they said each flat is to pay N3,000 every month for waste disposal. As a shop owner, I will be paying double? Is this the solution they’ve been promising us?”

Eugene Otega, an Nnewi resident, said the initiative was laudable, but noted that more public enlightenment and sensitisation by the media and community leaders were needed to ensure its success.

ASWAMA Board Chairman Dr. Emma Ezenwaji said indiscriminate dumping of refuse remained an offence, warning defaulters to desist or face the consequences.

He urged contractors and neighbourhood leaders, whose responsibility was to inform residents of days of refuse collection, to rise to the occasion. Ezenwaji appealed to residents to be patient with the agency in sanitising the state.(The Nation)