By Kemi Olatunde
All Local Governments must enforce the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in their domains and also forbid trading in markets in order to ensure a healthy environment in Ondo State.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr. Bunmi Alade gave the charge while speaking after the monitoring of the November edition of monthly sanitation exercise in Akure, the State capital.
According to him, residents should be sensitised on the need to embrace the exercise, stating that offenders should be taken to court for prosecution.
While commending the impressive turnout of residents to this month’s exercise, he explained that the exercise should be given priority by all at all time so as to prevent the outbreak of diseases.
Speaking earlier during the monitoring, Alade stressed the need for residents who play football during the stipulated hours of the exercise to desist from such act and embrace cleaning their environment in their houses.
He called on PSPs to put their vehicle in order to prevent dropping of unpackaged dirts while in motion, noting that rickety waste vehicles constitute havoc to the environment.
General Manager, Ondo State Waste Management Authority, Mr. Fola Omowole while describing the exercise as the provision of the law, said that it is important that residents key into it for the benefit of their health and state at large.
While stating that there is now consciousness in residents to care for their environment, he explained that the authority is set to tackle illegal dump sites which are springing up in Akure, to get them clean even as the yelutide approaches.
While frowning at the habit of dumping waste indiscriminately by some residents, Omowole who noted that a lot of arrest have been made to that effect, called for proper waste disposal saying “residents should not bring out their waste at odd hours.”
Few arrests were made during the exercise, about eight persons were made to cut grasses along the road, while some picked waste along the road.
The team among several places inspected the dump site along Igbatoro road, Akure.