The Anambra State Waste Management Authority (ASWAMA), has urged the State Assembly to review its law to allow for the establishment of a functional mobile sanitation court in the state.
The Managing Director of ASWAMA, Mr Amechi Akora made the call in an interview with newsmen, in Awka on Monday.
Akora said that the court, when established, would handle environmental-related cases and prosecute persons that flouted sanitation laws.
He said the court would sanction anyone who failed to comply with movement restriction orders and defaulters in payment of sanitation levy.
He said the court would also prosecute those who did not participate in cleaning up their surrounding or who disposed waste materials indiscriminately.
According to him, sanitation is a civic duty which entails the participation of people of the state for the overall health and cleanliness of the environment.
“The poor attitude of residents to sanitation issues is a very big challenge to the agency.
“Such behaviour is not only condemnable, but unpatriotic because waste management is supposed to be a collective responsibility.
“The state government is spending so much on interventions to manage waste in the state. We have an annual sanitation levy mapped out but less than 10 per cent of residents pay.
“Household occupying three bedroom flat pay N3,600, N12,000 for duplex, N6,000 for bungalow, N2,400 for a single room, while shops and corporate organisations have their annual rates too.
“We have intensified awareness and monitoring to ensure that residents improved environmental hygiene but it is yielding little result, hence the need for a sanitation court,” he said.
Akora said that no fewer than 80 persons in Awka were prosecuted in 2020 while some of the cases were spilled into 2021 due to backlogs of cases and delays at the regular courts.
“The regular courts are overwhelmed with other matters which is why we are pressuring the legislature to review the ASWAMA law to allow the establishment of a sanitation court.
“If we have a sanitation court, defaulters would be arrested, prosecuted and sanctioned accordingly, to serve as deterrent,” he said.
The Managing Director urged residents to always keep their environment clean to guard against diseases.