LIKE the rough-looking, sproutinggrey hair forced out on the head of a young- suffering man, some tarred roads have been forced to develop weeds arising from illegal dumping of refuse, thus, resulting to the presence of wild-growing weeds on these tarred roads and streets.
It is just like the case of someone abandoning the refuse bin in front of his house and prefers dumping refuse meant for the dust bin on the veranda of the same house.
This is the situation on streets and roads like Okolotu Road, Tom Halim Street, Ebeluwa Street, and other streets around that axis and other parts of the city with just few being exception.
It is not as if there are the only streets affected by this illegal dumping of refuse in Asaba, many residents of other streets have formed that habit of abandoning road and street shoulders to dump refuse on the tarred portions of them.
Today, the streets are not only being defaced, but also the esthetics looks of such streets are gradually being eroded.
They, the residents, no longer consider the health implication of dumping refuse indiscriminately, or having them piled up on the tarred roads near their homes without efforts being made to call the Private Sector Participants (PSPs) for onward evacuation to the designated spots because they do not want to pay for such services.
They do not know that it will do them a whole lot of good if such ill-health-inducing practices are averted by responding positively and quickly too to immediate disposal of gathered waste.
In this time of rainy season, the whole of these streets and roads littered with all manners of waste and those dropping from over filled waste bins become materials terribly forbidden for the eyes of those that cherish decency to behold. For them that like this stinking refuse like flies that thrive in dirty environments, the presence of these eye-sores, even at their door-mouths, means nothing to them.
Moving through Cable Point Road, Umuekwo Road from Stop Abortion axis through Allen to Grand Hotel Resorts and Convention Center, you see all that is not supposed to be found among normal human beings being recklessly displayed on the roads and street corners; it is another‘flash point’ for indiscriminate dumping of refuse, a place becoming notorious for dumping ofirritating refuse with those behind this unauthorized unpatriotic act going free-scot even when sighted or caught outright in the act.
Stinking rags, chaffs of boiled and sieved banga,(palm-fruits), washed bean water with the chaffs,oozingdead rats,human waste in cellophane bags smashed and splashed by speeding vehicles, or left in their wrapped up forms yet to be run over by vehicles, empty sachets of pure water, pet bottles, and other stomach-churning rubbishes are all seen littering the roads.
All these are dumped on the roads by those who claim to be human beings but not in any better than pigs in the mud waters.
These set of so-called human beings, no doubt, deserve a place in Correctional Centers where they are supposed to be cooling their feet for deliberately choosing to pollute and mess up the environment.
Only recently, a patriot, a good-spirit citizen, and a Nigerian with high penchant for environmental cleanliness, Mr. Christopher Konwea, son of notable personality in Asaba, late Engr Obi Konwea, was seen at Igbuzor junction clearing refuse that littered the area, a self-voluntary service he has been into for the past 10 years running.
As he does this almost on daily basis destitutes at the junction including bus drivers and their conductors, and some other members of the public, keeping messing up the entire environments.
‘’Members of some NGOs that come to feed these destitudes and give their widow’s mites to them in terms of monetary gift in addition, do not help to tidy up the place littered with disposal plastic plates.’’ complained a member of the public who preferred anonymity.
This is why we salute the recent announcement by the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency (DSCTDA), also referred to as Asaba Capital Territory (ACT), to try any body found culpable in that uncivil act through the mobile court.
The idea of setting up a mobile court to try environmental violators is commendable. It is a right step in the right direction; it is a good thing that the announcement is currently on-going in some radio stations in Asaba. Nobody will say he never heard of it.
The authorities of Asaba Capital Territory have to make good the corrective measure they have come out it. Those to enforce it should be men that will not compromise in their duty when dealing with caught and uncaught environmental violators.
Those who try to get tarred public roads messed up with refuse instead of placing gathered refuse on the road shoulders, and those not fond of packaging the refuse properly in big cellophane bags and prefer leaving them in their scattered forms (that is the uncaught environmental violators), when they are eventually caught should be made to face the law. The taskforce men should be seen as men of proven integrity, and not compromisers.
Officials of the taskforce should not subscribe to bribe. They should resist the temptation at all cost and make the environmental defaulters to face the full wrath of the law.
It is only when they are found serious doing the job they have been employed to do without compromise that residents of the city will start allowing their conscience to rule them, make them act in the best way acceptable to other decent members of the society.
