Maureen Ihua-MaduenyiThe waste crisis in Lagos State has become unprecedented with increased volume of garbage on the streets, roads, highways and median, almost taking the state back to 1999 when waste was competing with vehicles and pedestrians, the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria has said. The association, an umbrella body of Private Sector Participants in waste management in Lagos, said the situation had become so alarming that it called for concerted efforts from the government, all stakeholders and the entire residents of the state. The Lagos State Government had in June 2017 introduced the Sanitation Intervention Programme to address the challenge of refuse littering some parts of the state during the transition to the new solid waste management system known as the Cleaner Lagos Initiative. “This programme has escalated the waste management problems in the state. It has unfortunately led to a few operators abandoning their slots because the residents have stopped paying and now focus on the intervention programme.

Source: Punch January 07, 2018 22:52 UTC