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The Governor of Enugu State has said reiterated the commitment of his administration to carry out an upward review of refuse evacuation contracts to make sure that they eradicate poor waste disposal in the state.
He made this pledge in a statement by the special adviser to the governor on information, Steve Ururuo, on Wednesday.
He said the review was to compensate the contractors for the high operating cost of diesel, vehicle maintenance and labour, among others.
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“This is intended to improve the capacity of the waste evacuation contractors to render top-notch service,” he said.
Mr Ururuo, while frowning at the declining state of cleanliness in the state, charged the waste evacuation contractors to urgently reverse the ugly trend and restore the state to its enviable place notable for its cleanliness.
“The good people of Enugu State are hereby assured that a huge improvement in the cleanliness of the city will be witnessed shortly,” Mr Ururuo added.
This is coming amid growing concerns by residents over delays in the evacuation of waste as heaps of refuse litter the state, particularly the urban part of the state.
Some residents who spoke to newsmen also described the plan to evacuate waste in the state as a “welcome development” just as they urged the government to match its words with action.
One of the residents, Kingsley Umezuoke, said the littered environments in the state were disturbing and, also, exposing residents to serious health risks.
He said waste management officials who usually evacuated waste in the state “have disappeared” leading to heaps of refuse across the state.
“Heaps of refuse litter everywhere now in Enugu. But, if they evacuate it, we will benefit from it because it is dangerous to our health,” he said.
Another resident, who identified himself simply as Anthony, said the level of waste allowed to litter the state was worrisome.
Mr Anthony, a banker, said he hopes that the state government would carry out the evacuation plan as soon as possible.
“I hope they do it because the level of dirt in Enugu currently is worrisome. But, these politicians are not always trustworthy,” he said.
Tochukwu Eze, another resident, said the evacuation of refuse was too important to be delayed.
He said he was surprised that the state government frequently cancelled the monthly sanitation exercise noting that the sanitation exercise has not been held in the state in a long time.
“The evacuation is very necessary because we are known for cleanliness in Enugu, but the reverse has been the case,” he said.
