• Over 30,000 residents given direct employment

By Dada Jackson

Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, says the present administration has stabilised and restored confidence to the environment sector.

Bello spoke at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, during the 2nd Year of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu administration’s Ministerial Press Briefing by the Environment and Water Resources Ministry.

According to him, at the last count, over 30,000 direct new jobs have been created in the environment sector through the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) with several thousands of indirect jobs.

He said the period under review also saw the acquisition of 210 new compactors by the PSP operators who have also employed over 8,200 people with the number of the PSPs growing from 350 to 437.

The commissioner stressed that in line with the THEMES Agenda, waste generation and disposal processes had been reinvigorated through circular waste recycling.

He explained that the process would reduce the amount of waste generated and transported to the landfill sites, which were getting filled up already.

Bello said that the ministry had constructed a recycling bank within the Ministry of Environment complex and had been promoting the establishment of recycling banks in the government built estates across the state.

He noted that as part of climate change mitigation efforts of the present administration, many new parks and gardens had been created while landscaping and beautification of new sites have continued.

He added that LASPARK was partnering the private sector with its ‘adopt a park’ policy through which the OPS were encouraged to adopt and brand sites, parks and gardens.

Bello reiterated that the agency also commissioned a mini effluent treatment plant used to treat waste water and had recorded a remarkable achievement in the fight against noise pollution from social clubs and religious organizations.

He emphasised that Lagos had moved from the notoriety of a flood-ravaged coastal city to one with clean, dredged and free flowing drainage channels all year round.

He said contracts were awarded for construction of new drainage channels in 47 strategic locations in the state, with work at 12 locations 100 per cent completed, 17 at above 80 per cent and 18 at above 50 per cent completion.

Under the maintenance and dredging of Primary Channels Programme, a total of 42 primary channels cleaning and dredging contracts were awarded across the state, according to Bello.

The commissioner said another 192 secondary collectors drains spread across the 20 local government areas of the state had been cleaned up.

Bello informed that to promote safe and healthy living of the citizenry and with massive support from the World Bank, six air quality control monitoring stations were commissioned in six locations across the state.

“The EFAG Gang has carried out routine maintenance, cleaning and emergency deflooding interventions on approximately 307 km length of both Tertiary and Secondary Drains all over the State in the last one year,” he disclosed.

Bello said 1,663 contravening structures were identified in some local governments monitored for contravention of drainage alignments and setbacks while removal had commenced with about 84 per cent completion.

“The State Signage and Advertisement Agency launched the 2021 Mobile Advert Stickers to enhance a more effective regulatory process for mobile advertisements,” Bello said.

He said as part of Covid-19 containment measures, the ministry had intensified the disinfecting of schools, public institutions and highways regularly.

He said that the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) arrested 2,858 people comprising illegal traders, hawkers, highway crossing defaulters, environmental polluters and cart pushers out of which 294 persons were prosecuted according to the State Environmental Laws.

To improve on the supply of portable healthy water to the citizens, Bello informed that the state through the Lagos Water Corporation has recorded 85 per cent completion at the ongoing construction of 70MGD (Million Gallons per Day) Adiyan II water plant.