By Julie Sylvia
Anambra State government, through the Board of Anambra State Waste Managent Authority (ASWAMA) has charged Environmental Health Officers and other stakeholders to take sanitation down to Local Government and community level for more effective result.
The charge was given during a meeting of members of ASWAMA Board with the Acting Chairmen of Local Government Areas and Environmental Health Officers at the Government House, Awka.
The Chairman, ASWAMA Board, Dr. Emma Ezenwaji said that waste contractors would need the help of Environmental Health Officers to achieve the desired goal.
Dr. Ezenwaji noted that they would create Local Government Waste Managent Committee and Ward Waste Managent Committee, adding that the inclusion of Local Authorities in waste management would yield much positive results.
He said that Health Officers should monitor the environment and take necessary actions irrespective of who was involved.
“Though the waste contractors are there but your help is highly needed, we will give you the phone numbers of all the contractors so that you can work with them.
“I want you to take active participation in the sanitation exercise, I also want you to help us in enumeration and sensitization in your areas.
“Health Officers were revered in the past because they were doing their job boldly without collecting bribe.”
The Managing Director, ASWAMA, Mr Mike Ozoemena said that they would soon embark on street to street waste collection in order to curb the menace of indiscriminate waste disposal.
Mr. Ozoemena explained that communal dumping of refuse would no longer be tolerated by the end of September, adding that everyone should be concerned about the environment.
“Our target is that refuse must disappear from our high ways by the end of December because we must bring back honour and sanity in the society.
“We will give incentives for the neatest ward in the state as this will help to encourage every Ward to embrace cleanliness.”
A Board member, Mr. Chuks Iwuchukwu emphasized the role of Environmental Health Officers in respect to sanitation, noting that they studied it in school.
“We cannot talk of waste management without Environmental Health Officers because they studied it not less than five years in school.
“I commend the Board for involving Health Officers in this, they are prosecutors and they don’t need the help of Lawyers to do their job.”
Some of the Health Officers, Mr. Muofunanya Ndiwe and Mrs. Catherine Ezioba commended the Board for organizing the meeting and promised to discharge their duties diligently.
