From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
Following the alarm raised by a concerned citizen over blocked drains in front of the Kaduna South Local Government Secretariat, Makera, Kakuri, Kaduna, the Chairman of the local council, Yakubu Jarimi has cleared the drains with a stark warning against indiscriminate dumping of solid waste by the residents of the area.
The chairman did this through the Environmental Department in his Council in partnership with the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Kaduna South Chapter.
In most Nigerian residential areas, some residents are guilty of dumping solid waste like disused clothing, tyres, sachets and plastic bottles, iron, and dead animals among others in the drainage especially when it is about to rain with the thinking that rain would wash them away.
This singular act, apart from blocking waterways, flooding, and disease outbreaks, poses a great danger to the collective survival of humans and other living organisms that share the environment as their natural habitat if unchecked.
Speaking on the development, the Coordinator of the NYCN in the area, Abdallah Usman said the council boss also reached out to Sharon Oil and other businesses operating in the area whose drainages were cleared to henceforth maintain a cleaner environment.
According to Zailani, “following the issue of locked drains you raised, the Chairman of the Kaduna South LGA Hon. Yakubu Jarimi has called upon the NYCN Kd South Chapter to collaborate with the Environmental Department to conduct a sanitation exercise and clear the blocked drains, especially in front of the secretariat.
“Mr. Chairman also reached out to Sharon Filling Station and other institutions that have blocked drainage to address the issue in good time to avoid future occurrence.
“To this end, he has constituted a team, incorporating the NYÇN to further sensitize the community on the consequences of dumping solid waste on waterways which include flood and, disease outbreak among others”, he added.
To many residents, it is high time the Kaduna State government through the Kaduna Environmental Protection Authority and other relevant agencies, re-introduced the weekly or monthly sanitation exercise to keep the state cleaner and greener in addition to other sustainable efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change in the state.