Ogbonna Warns Against Blocking Drainages, Threatens Sanitation Court for Defaulters.
The Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, has warned residents against dumping refuse in drainages and waterways, saying offenders will face the full weight of the law.
Ogbonna gave the warning while monitoring the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Umuahia on Saturday, where he expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance across the state capital.
The Commissioner, however, noted that some isolated cases of non-compliance were recorded, particularly around Orie Ugba Market, despite repeated warnings to traders and their leadership.
He said the government would take stronger measures against persistent violators, including establishing a Sanitation Court at the market to ensure that offenders were prosecuted in accordance with environmental laws.
Ogbonna also commended residents of Mgboko Afara Ibeku who volunteered to work with the government to keep their environment clean, noting that an attempt by some individuals to disrupt the exercise was peacefully handled.
He stressed that the monthly sanitation exercise was not meant for government officials alone but for all residents of Abia State, urging citizens to devote the three hours set aside for the exercise to cleaning their surroundings.
On flooding occasioned by heavy rainfall in parts of the state, the Commissioner attributed some of the incidents to the obstruction of drainage channels and waterways by residents who dump waste indiscriminately.
He said the government was working to ensure that drainage systems remained open, adding that the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA, and other relevant agencies were continuously engaged in clearing and maintaining drainage channels.
Ogbonna warned residents against dumping refuse into waterways during rainfall, stressing that anyone caught engaging in such acts would be made to face the consequences under the law.
He therefore called on Abians to cooperate with government agencies in maintaining clean surroundings and ensuring the free flow of water through the state’s drainage systems.
