- Sets Up Surveillance To Fish Out Perpetrators
BY AWELE OGBOGU
EFFORTS are being intensified for a Yuletide celebration without the sight of refuse in public places or private residences across Delta State, in consolidation of the state government’s strides in ensuring cleanliness at all times in all parts of the state.
Executive Chairman of Delta State Waste Management Board, Hon. Matthew Mofe Edema while speaking on an ongoing special waste collection and disposal exercise by the Delta State Waste Management Board, said it is to contain and manage the usual higher volume of wastes associated with increased commercial activities during the Yuletide season.
Speaking on the exclusive exercise, the Executive Chairman of Delta State Waste Management Board, Hon. Matthew Mofe Edema said residents of the state capital, major cities and townships would notice a major presence of its officials and PSP operators in their areas and intensified operations by the private waste managers, hence he urged Deltans to cooperate with them to ensure the highest level of cleanliness for the benefit of residents and visitors to the state during the upcoming festivities.
Edema warned that there is a special surveillance by the waste management board to fish out residents who fail to make use of PSP operators but resort to disposing wastes in all manner of places, adding that it would be costlier not to patronize PSP operators when one is caught dumping wastes indiscriminately.
In the same vein, he urged the waste managers to get closer to members of the public as this would help people to better understand their services and patronize them.
While declaring that Asaba and other parts of the state are getting cleaner, Edema attributed it to deployment of machinery to manage wastes, such as opening and maintenance of dump sites, regular collection of wastes and proper evacuation as well as increased rescue operations by the Waste Management Board to support/ compliment PSP operations.
He also said that the PSP operators are being better monitored in carrying out their roles, with greater supervision by the Waste Management Board following the revitalisation of its field offices/training and sensitization of field officers across the state.
Also, as part of efforts to encourage best practices in waste management, the Waste Management Board is empowering scavengers with knowledge to transition to decent livelihoods by creating wealth from wastes, while in the meantime, supporting them with tools for their safety while working at dump sites.
Earlier, Edema informed that a Waste to Wealth programme was underway in 2025 to rake in the potential economic benefits of sustainable waste management practices in the state, including revenue generation for the state government, employment generation and investment promotion in the area of waste management which is in line with the ongoing implementation of the MORE Agenda.
