Residents of Ikpoba Slope community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State are running away from their homes following the stench from dung, faeces and other animal and human waste from the about 10 abattoirs in the area.
The community said the stench, coupled with smoke from burning cow horn and skin made the community almost inhabitable for them.
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They further said the community is polluted with flies, mosquitoes, rats and sundry insects that come from cow drops which were posing great danger to their health.
Our reporter who visited the area observed dungs and excreta litter the area while the river is filled with coagulated blood from the slaughtering of animals.
The residents said even fragrance sprayed in their rooms on daily basis was not enough to reduce the stench, a situation that has made many inhabitants of the area to relocate to other places.
The community, it was learnt, had dragged the abattoir owners to court over the security implications of the activities in the abattoirs. .
A resident, Igbinaduwa Justin, said they were afraid that there might be an outbreak of an epidemic in the area as they inhaled all kinds of stench from the abattoirs.
He said, “We don’t have peace as result of the operations of these abattoirs. We have complained and are tired of complaining.
“Dung and other waste from the abattoirs litter the streets and the river thereby making the environment difficult for us. We buy fragrance on a daily basis.”
According to him, if urgent steps are not taken by relevant authorities to address the problem “we may have an epidemic to contend with.”
A community elder, Pa Victor Aguebor, said the situation was giving them concern as close to 10 abattoirs were sited in their small community.
He said, “The operators of the abattoirs are not doing anything about the development despite our several complaints to them.
“The operators of the abattoirs, after slaughtering their cows, dump their waste in the community which is constituting nuisance.”
He further said the first abattoir in the area was constructed in 1964 when the government of the Mid-Western State wanted a central abattoir for the state due to its proximity to the Ikpoba River.
But that, “Ever since, some persons started buying plots of land near the abattoir and the adjoining streets for the building of private houses but to our greatest surprise these private property developers have turned the lands into abattoirs and there are over 10 of them in the small community.
“They have turned the entire community into refuse bins where all forms of refuse are dumped. The abattoir operator set up several mini-markets where different goods are sold and the refuse produced are channelled into the river and any available space.
He lamented that the drainage system in the area had been blocked as a result of the refuse.
“All effort to rid the drains of plastics, polyethylene bags, pure water sachets and volumes of cow waste from the abattoirs have been unsuccessful,” he lamented.
On his part, John Osazuwa lamented that the abattoir waste that was channelled by the butchers through the drains ended up inside the community due to the blockage occasioned by cow and human waste.
He also said they constantly remained indoors for fear of being chased by wandering cows, hence calling on the state government to come to their aid before an epidemic broke out.
The Chief Priest of the community, Nosakhere Obasogie Obazee, said they were worried due to the negative impacts of the activities of the abattoirs in the community.
He said some residents had abandoned their houses while tenants had also moved out of the community for fear of contracting diseases.
He said, “Our environment has been polluted and we cannot breathe fresh air. We are really suffering here, and we are praying that an epidemic should not break out.”
He, therefore, urged the government to come to their rescue by compelling the abattoir operators to use the government-owned abattoir and close down all other private ones.
On his part, Igbonoba Peace lamented that the abattoir operators had never contributed meaningfully to the development of the community but succeeded in contaminating the environment with their waste.
He said, “The community hosting the brewery is enjoying some social amenities like water and good roads, but for us there is nothing like that than pollution and dirt.”
He, therefore, called on the local and state governments to come to their aid and save them from the abattoir owners.
Responding, Chairman of the Butchers Association, Edo State chapter, Mr Akhere Odigie, said operators of abattoirs in the community had started taking care of the environment where they carried out their daily activities.
He alleged that the issue between the abattoir operators and the inhabitants of the community started when some members of the community approached them, asking them to start paying money to them which they refused.
According to him, they did not yield to the demand because they might capitalise on it to exploit them further.
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