Lagos State Government on Thursday affirmed that it has stabilised and restored confidence to the environment sector, saying that waste generation and disposal processes in the state had been reinvigorated through circular waste recycling, in line with the THEMES Agenda.
This was just as it said the state had moved from the notoriety of a flood-ravaged coastal city to one with clean, dredged and free-flowing drainage channels all year round.
The State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, said this during the 2nd Year of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu administration’s Ministerial Press Briefing, which took place at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
The commissioner disclosed that over 30,000 direct new jobs had been created at the last count in the environment sector through LAWMA with several thousand others that are indirect, adding that the period under review had also seen the acquisition of 210 new Compactors by the Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, who he said, had also employed over 8,200 people with the number of the PSPs growing from 350 to 437.
According to Bello, the waste generation and disposal processes reinvigorated through circular waste recycling will reduce the amount of waste generated and transported to the landfills sites which are getting filled up already.
The commissioner further disclosed that the ministry had constructed a recycling bank within its premises in Alausa, adding that it had also been promoting the establishment of recycling banks in the Government built estates across the state.
The commissioner said, as part of climate change mitigation efforts of the present administration, many new parks and gardens had been created while landscaping and beautification of new sites had continued, adding that LASPARK was also partnering with the private sector to adopt a Park Policy through which the Organised Private Sector (OPS) were encouraged to adopt and brand sites, parks and gardens.
Bello said further that the Agency also commissioned a mini effluent treatment plant used to treat wastewater and had recorded a remarkable achievement in the fight against noise pollution from social clubs and religious organizations.
The commissioner emphasised that the state had moved from a flood-ravaged coastal city to one with clean, dredged and free-flowing drainage channels all year round, saying that contracts were awarded for construction of new drainage channels in 47 strategic locations in the state, with work at 12 locations 100per cent completed, 17 at above 80per cent and 18 at above 50per cent completion level.
Speaking further, Bello said a total of 42 primary channels cleaning and dredging contracts were awarded across the state, under the maintenance and dredging of the Primary Channels Programme.
He disclosed that 1663 contravening structures were identified in some local government monitored for contravention of drainage alignments and setbacks, saying that removal of the affected structures had commenced with about 84 per cent completion.
According to him, another 192 Secondary Collectors drains spread across the 20 Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state have been cleaned up, adding that six Air Quality Control Monitoring Stations were commissioned in six locations across the state to promote safe and healthy living of the citizenry and with massive support from the World Bank.
“The EFAG Gang has carried out routine maintenance, cleaning and emergency interventions on approximately 307 km length of both Tertiary and Secondary drains all over the State in the last one year,” the commissioner said.
On Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), Bello said the agency arrested 2,858 people comprising illegal traders, hawkers, highway crossing defaulters, environmental polluters and cart pushers out of which 294 persons were prosecuted according to the State Environmental Laws.
He informed that the state government in its effort to improve on the supply of portable healthy water to the citizens, had, through the Lagos Water Corporation recorded 85per cent completion at the ongoing construction of 70MGD (Million Gallons per Day) at Adiyan II Water Plant, even as he disclosed that negotiation had been completed with the Ogun State government on the ceding of Right of Way for Reticulation/Laying of pipes for the Adiyan Phase II project, with laying of pipes already commenced.
We’ve stabilised, restored confidence in the environment sector
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We’ve stabilised, restored confidence in the environment sector