By Kemi Olatunde
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W hen the environment is clean, the people becomes guaranteed of good health. It is not just enough for one to look good, it is also important that the environment is given necessary attention to prevent outbreak of diseases which could be injurious to the health of those living there.
The heavy downpour of last Saturday could be described as one capable of preventing one from attending to important things but despite it, the August edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise was adequately monitored as Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Funso Esan led other members of the team to Owo to ensure that the people took part in the exercise.
On several occasions, the state Government promised to make the state the cynosure of all eyes in terms of cleanliness in the country and it has been making efforts to achieve this.
As part of measures to achieve this, the last Environmental Sanitation Exercise was observed with close monitoring in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The monitoring team included; the Comissioner for Environment, Mr. Funso Esan and the CEO, ZL Global Alliance, Mrs Bashorun Abiola with other sanitation officers from both the Ministry of Environment and ZL Global Alliance.
The sanitation work commenced at Oke Mapo Round About where the drainage in front of the hall was cleared to allow free flow of water.
An illegal dump site was identified at Oja-Koko Isaepe where the commissioner enjoined the people of the area to join the train of waste clearing in the State. The dump site was later converted to a collection point with a promise by the ZL to swing in to action.
Also at Ehinogbe, the ZL agency promised to relocate the heap of refuse there to the permanent site and also added that the site would be marked as collection point where people can easily drop their well packed waste for daily collection to the permanent site.
Clearing of canal and drainages were also carried out at Ogbomo Ijebu, Isolo Street and Okedogbon while the Mechanical Èarth channelization of Uka water flow is slated to commence immediately.
Commissioner, Funso Esan, who thanked the state governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for the unrelent support of his administration enjoined the good people of Ondo State to join hands with the state government by contributing their own quota of proper waste disposal.
Speaking with Weekend Digest, Esan stressed the need for all to avoid indiscriminate refused disposal, saying “we will provide containers and ZL would visit from time to time to collect the waste.”
Mrs Basorun while chatting with Weekend Digest explained that government is in partnership with the organization to evacuate illegal dump sites and free water ways and drainages which according to her is ongoing.
“We have commenced work both in Akure and Ore and in few days , we would be working in Owo.” She explained.
She called on the people to abide by the rule of illegal dump site.
Caretaker Chairman, Owo Local Government, Hon. Gani Omoluka, who described the exercise as an impressive one expressed appreciation to the present government for doing a good job in the state.
Governor Akeredolu explained further that he established five additional Mother and Child Hospitals to enable people in the other senatorial districts of the state have access to maternal health care.
He said: “The arrangement we met on ground where the only two Mother and Child Hospitals were located in the central Senatorial District was not acceptable. What becomes of pregnant women in the North and Southern Senatorial Districts.”
Pharm. Samuel Adekola commended Akeredolu’s health programmes and policies, particularly the Contributory Health which he described as ‘all inclusive and implementable’.