The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has arrested 13 cart pushers and seized 29 carts for violating environmental laws of the state.
Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, Acting Managing Director, disclosed this during the “Operation Rid Lagos of Cart Pushers” by the authority on Saturday, August 8, 2020.
LAWMA visited areas such as: Ogudu, Ojota, Bariga, Ifako, Shomolu, Bajulaiye and Gbagada. The carts were intercepted at Ifako, New Garage, Okuta road, Bariga, Idiaba, Bajulaiye and other areas.
The LAWMA boss said that the authority was concerned about the growing environmental degradation in some parts of the state, occasioned by the activities of cart pushers.
He said that the organisation had clamped down on all forms of cart pushing, in a bid to return sanity to the affected areas in the state.
Odumboni said the authority had also stepped up efforts to make Lagos cleaner and liveable for all, by introducing novel waste management programmes.
He urged the residents to patronise Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators for them to discharge their primary duties effectively.
”The efforts of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in protecting the environment is being hampered by cart pushers who engage in the flagrant acts of indiscriminate waste disposal in canals, road medians and undeveloped property.
“The menace of cart pushing in some parts of the state has led to a rise in indiscriminate waste disposal and exposure of residents to myriads of health hazards, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We cannot fold our hands and watch few unpatriotic elements jeopardise efforts of the government to make the metropolis cleaner, healthier and liveable for all.
“From now on, all forms of cart pushing remains banned and anyone caught contravening the environmental laws of the state will face the full wrath of the law. The authority’s job is to ensure proper regulation of the PSP activities,” Odumboni said.
He added that the landfield sites had improved from 11 to 20 and increased the turnaround time of trucks to 650 trips made daily by the PSP, while the authority was working toward increasing the trips to 1,000.
Odumboni, however, appealed to residents to imbibe the culture of bagging their wastes and giving to assigned PSP operators, instead of patronising cart pushers who dump them on unauthorised locations.
By Aisha Cole
