The Plateau Government has given private waste evacuators in charge of Jos-Bukuru one week to clear all dump sites in the area.
Mr Abdullahi Abbas, the state’s Commissioner for Environment, gave the deadline on Saturday, May 26, 2018 after an assessment tour of the 14 waste collection zones in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis.
Abbas said any of the evacuators who failed to adhere to the ultimatum stands the chance of losing his contract.
He said that most zones in Bukuru were littered with waste and was currently emitting foul smell, as well as blocking most of the water channels in the area.
According to Abbas, eight of the 14 evacuators have defaulted in clearing their designated zones.
He explained that the sites, which were not cleared, had become breeding spots for most vectors and rodents that transmit diseases such as cholera and Lassa fever virus.
One of the evacuators, Mr Stephen Kitnanka, the Chief Executive Officer of Laven Enterprises in charge of evacuating Zone 1 – Mararaban Jama to Bukuru, told NAN that people dumped waste indiscriminately.
Kitnanka appealed to the state government to put more emphasis on enforcement to curtail indiscriminate dumping of waste.
He also called for more awareness, using Ward heads to sensitise the people to the dangers of dumping waste indiscriminately, as well as the penalty it attracts.
The Plateau Government had in January awarded the contract for clearing of waste in the state to private evacuators.
By Blessing Odega
