Oyo State Government, in collaboration with a waste management consultant, Mottainai Recycling, has began fumigation of dump sites to eliminate communicable diseases and epidemics in the state.
Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Abiodun Oni, who made this known on Monday in Ibadan, said that the exercise had been flagged off at Lapite dump site, Ibadan, on Saturday.
The commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Modupe Adeleye, said that the exercise was aimed at protecting the immediate and surrounding communities where the dumpsites were situated.
He expressed government’s commitment to protecting public health and minimising the discomfort that might be caused neighbouring communities by the dumpsites.
Oni appealed to residents of the state to refrain from any act that might have negative effects on the environment.
According to the commissioner, the fumigation exercise would play an important role in the waste management chain in the state.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that dumpsites are prime breeding sites for communicable diseases and vectors, such as rodents, mosquitoes and flies, which tend to exacerbate the prevalence of waterborne diseases, such as typhoid and cholera, among others.
“The exercise will help us attain a cleaner and safer environment,” he said.
Oni urged residents to ensure prompt payment of their waste disposal services and desist from dumping wastes in unauthorized places.