Refuse overwhelms bridge, poses environmental, health threats In Kubwa

Residents of Kubwa, in Bwari Area Council, have blamed lack of provision of refuse bins for the improper disposal of waste in the community.

As evident at PW Bridge in the town, Aso Chronicle learnt that informal waste collectors have turned the space under the bridge for discarding refuse thereby forcing residents into skipping to get past the dirt and odour as they crossed the bridge.

• Concerns as FCT primary school teachers’ strike lingers over minimum wage
• #EndSARS: Why FCT youths must embrace peace

Our reporters gathered that the choice of the bridge was due to the flowing river beneath it which during the rainy season, washes away the mountain of refuse that is dumped there.

A visit to the community showed heaps of waste dotting the edge of the river as the residents lived their lives with the smell and rodents and pests attracted by the waste. Scavengers could also be seen scouring deep into the heaps searching for bits and pieces that could be recycled.

Fabiola Attah, who owns a shop close to the bridge, said the refuse dumped into the river reeked and brought flies, adding that the situation was not good for the environment and the health of the people.

“On most occasions, I have to close the doors of my shop to reduce the odour coming in but when there is no electricity, due to heat, I have to open them and contend with the flies and other insects, which also perch on our food which is not good,” she lamented.

She noted that during the rainy season, the river carried the waste away but when harmattan set in, it piled up and the wind blew it all over, thereby littering the surrounding.

“There is a restaurant close to the bridge, but the location is not good for our health but when customers come they just cover their noses.”

On whether there have been efforts by the government to stop the dumping of refuse, she said no one had done that or even blocked the road used in accessing the place.

However, she suggested that a waste bin should be provided at designated areas for waste disposal to be collected by a waste truck, noting that if that is done, the indiscriminate dumping would stop.

Another resident, Emmanuel Mike, said he had tried his best to stop those dumping refuse into the river but was not successful, adding however that some of them do get arrested by a vigilante group in the community but that has not stopped them from returning.

“Sometimes, I do block the way just to ensure they are apprehended but they threatened me that it is not my work. So, I stopped because I realised that those asked to monitor the place were also getting tired. So I also backed off since I am not the only one affected by the indiscriminate refuse dumping,” he said.

Mike urged the council to provide personnel to man the area as the current strategy has not been effective in stopping the harmful practice.

When contacted, the Vice Chairman of Bwari Area Council, Aminu Musa Gumel, said they were worried by the development. He said the council recently contacted Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to sanction scavengers dumping refuse around the PW Bridge, and also another bridge near Phase 4 central mosque within the satellite town.

He said the effort, which is collaborative, is to check scavengers who disposed of refuse for stipends and the residents, and compel them to use the dump sites around Phase 3 Junction along the Kubwa highway.