How indiscriminate dumping during rainy season may pose health hazards in Kaduna

By Austine Emmanuel, Kaduna

Health is wealth, it has been said. The indiscriminate dumping of refuse in most Kaduna communities, despite the high level of sensitisation and civilisation has become a thing of serious concern in recent times.

Indiscriminate dumping of refuse refers to the inappropriate and careless disposal of waste materials, such as rubbish, recyclables, or hazardous substances, including a range of actions, from tossing rubbish on the side of the road, to dumping toxic chemicals into water bodies.

Careless dumping of waste materials without any reservation, remains an eyesore especially during the rainy season where unpleasant odour emanates from different corners without the idea of where they are coming from.

Those refuse also harbours flies among other insects that carry and transfer various diseases from one place to another through contamination especially when perched on food, water and other life-essential products.

It is no longer news to note also, that our energy production, including irresponsible waste management, contributes directly to climate change by adding carbon-based particles into the air, which are produced during the burning of petroleum products.

During our visit to some communities in Chikun and Kaduna North Local Government Areas, in Kaduna state, some traders and residents of the communities lamented over the high rate of environmental pollution, caused by dumping of indiscriminate waste products in the area.

Some of the traders while lamenting on Monday, said that they now cohabit with refuse especially during the rainy season as residents indiscriminately dump their refuse into the gutter. These they complained has posed a serious health hazard on the rural dwellers as the waste often is not flooded away from the drainage.

One of the residents of Narayi community Mrs. Salamatu Bala, while fielding questions from our Kaduna NewsDirect Correspondent, decried the littering of the popular Narayi bridge and it environs with refuse waste, a challenge she reiterated has become unbearable as residents and passersby now cover their nose when passing the major road.

Asked on whether the Kaduna Environmental Protection Agency, (KEPA) always come around to evacuate the rubbish, Salamatu disclosed that their coming is not always apt.

Salamatu said, “We are in a serious health hazard, exposing ourselves and our children. The waste disposal truck Operators are not prompt towards the clearing of the waste. The waste has been here for almost a week.”

Another resident of Tudun-wada, along Gumi college, opposite cemetery in Kaduna North Local Government Area , Mallam Aminu Nasir Jasawa while speaking with our Correspondent said, “refuse is everywhere. In fact, KEPA do not come to this place at all. Everywhere is littered with rubbish.”

Aminu said that most times, they resulted in the burning of the refuse but because of the rainy season, they find it difficult due to dull weather.

It is worthy of note that waste burning is a significant source of dangerous carcinogens like dioxins and black carbon, a short-lived climate pollutant that contributes to climate change, increased melting in polar regions due to the deposition of soot and black carbon on snow and ice, and numerous human health issues.

Moreso, the effects of indiscriminate waste cannot be overemphasised because if landfill is not properly managed, it has the ability to create intense health hazards and environmental threats to humans.

Environmental concerns such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, pollution, and land degradation have resulted from indiscriminate and unrestrained resource extraction with no regard for the future.

Therefore, landfill areas must be well enclosed to avoid waste dispersal by wind, infestation of rats, mice or other dangerous creeping animals and the waste becoming messy when it rains.

Meanwhile, medical practitioners have said that the outbreak of cholera across the country is one of the disadvantages of poor refuse management.

According to the health practitioners, improper disposal of waste leads to the spread of diseases, contamination of water sources, and air pollution, resulting in severe consequences for communities living in an open land.

A medical expert, Mrs. Elizabeth Osagiede, A Nursing Staff with Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital, Kaduna asserted that diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid fever and the transfer of other communicable diseases are some of the side effects of the said menace.

Osagiede said, “The outbreak of cholera is one of the disadvantages of indiscriminate dumping of refuse. Also, diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid fever, and the transfer of other communicable diseases. All these are as a result of poor hygiene and sanitation.”

Another medical expert, Dr. Zarmai Jonathan of Monarch Specialist Hospital, Kaduna maintained that “the side effects for indiscriminate refuse dumping are numerous, ranging from biological factors and health wise. One of the side effects is the fact that it provides breeding ground for parasites and as well provides a good environment for replication of organisms.”

Fielding questions from our Correspondent on those who pick one or two things from dumping sites, Dr. Jonathan averred that, “directly or indirectly, some of these things can be from infected persons. When they pick it up from there they get inflectional infections from those parasites or organisms and then of course because they interact with the society at large in terms of money and what have you, they transfer various infections like viruses to the public.”

“Socially also, it corrupts our environment like odour, pollution of the soil which is very challenging for our aquatic animals to survive due to the fact that it pollutes the water body and the fishes among other water animals find it difficult to get the normal things needed for their wellbeing. The disadvantages are numerous and they touch every aspect of human life. I condemned it at all levels.

“My advice to the general public is to first of all take it as a burden upon themselves to dispose of their waste properly. They should make provision even locally for a unified dumping environment where it can be evacuated at the right time.

“For KEPA, I will advise them to take up proper measures to ensure that waste is disposed of as at when due. Also the government can enact laws ranging from fining individuals who are found wanting and also advocating and  creating awareness on the importance of proper refuse disposal and other measures,” he said.

Although, Kaduna state is yet to record any confirmed cases of cholera outbreak, meanwhile it is very much important that proper measures are put in place so as to be able to checkmate the menace effectively even as the saying that prevention is better than cure.

Therefore, it is important that both residents and government at all levels try everything possible to enhance the prosperity of their surrounding, even as cleanliness is next to godliness.