Health challenges: Lagos to decommission Igando dump sites

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government has concluded arrangements to commence decommissioning of the landfills and refuse dump sites located along LASU-Isheri road in Igando area of the State as part of targeted efforts to prevent potential exposure to epidemic outbreak among the residents of the area.  

State Commissioners for Health and the Environment and Water Resources, Prof. Akin Abayomi and Mr.  Tunji Bello who made this known through a joint statement issued today said the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources are acutely aware of the dumpsites and the resultant menace it is causing to the environment.  

Abayomi said the proximity of the dumpsites to the Alimosho General Hospital where medical care is being provided leaves much to be desired.

“Situating a waste yard right beside a general hospital or in the proximity of residential community is totally unacceptable, and we acknowledge the health and environmental dangers this dumpsite constitutes to the neighbourhood and particularly the Alimosho General hospital”, Abayomi said. 

He explained that the dumpsites which were on the outskirts of the metropolis until population expansion, commercial and residential buildings caught up with them had earlier been shut down about five years ago before it was reopened by those engaged to manage the waste in the last four years before the present administration.  

“We are aware that these dumpsites have caused residents of the area so much discomfort and agony over the years. These coupled with the attendant exposure to environmental hazards which is inimical to attainment of good health are the reasons why we are taking the bull by the horn to provide lasting solution to this ugly menace by decommissioning these sites and restoring serenity in the environment”, Abayomi said.  

Bello while highlighting initiated plans aimed at finding a lasting solution to the dumpsites and landfills in the axis disclosed that the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has mandated the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to begin the process of decommissioning of Solous 3 dumpsite; which is the dumpsites close to the Alimosho General Hospital, starting with rehabilitation and improved management of the dumpsite as a critical first step to eventual decommissioning in two to three years.  

“The rehabilitation will involve leveling of the refuse, slope stabilization, soil covering, grading as well as rolling and landscaping. As part of the rehabilitation, we will also rebuild the drainage and road network within and outside the site. These measures will help greatly to control pollution, eliminate rodent’s breeding grounds, prevent landfill gas emission and widen capacity for landfill gas capturing”, Bello explained. 
 

He disclosed that Solous 3 dumpsite will be converted into a Material Recovery Facility and Waste-to-Energy plants that will power the Alimosho General Hospital and the College of Nursing after decommissioning. Bello opined that the air around the dumpsite will be fresher and cleaner after the rehabilitation stressing that the traffic congestion on the road occasioned by queues formed by waste collection trucks would also be eliminated. 

“While we apologize for the inconvenience caused, we are hastening our intervention to ensure that the residents of Igando and Alimosho local government area as a whole get to live in an environment optimized for a better health and improved quality of life”, Abayomi said.