Comfort Yakubu, Kano
In an effort to keep and maintain a clean environment, the Managing Director of Kano State Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB) and leaders of some Markets in Kano met on Tuesday to chart a way forward on how to maintain a clean environment within markets in the state.
Stallion Times reports that in recent times, major roads, drainages, and some sections of the markets in the state have turned into a major source of refuse dumps.
Speaking during the meeting at the conference room of the board, Bashir Abdul, Chairman of Sabon Gari Market called on the leadership of REMASAB to reintroduce a zero collection center in the market where all the refuse would be collected and evacuated regularly instead of thrashing them on major roads or drainages.
According to him, there is a lack of an appropriate refuse collection center, which has made some of the traders and people around the vicinity dump their refuse indiscriminately, adding that, when the appropriate channel is provided, they will ensure compliance by making sure their members do the right thing and pay their sanitation dues regularly.
He also pointed out that, the leadership in its efforts has spent two million Naira to hire a pen loader and tippers to evacuate refuse dump around Igbo road, France, and Court Road but two days after the specks of dirt accumulated, hence the need to collaborate with the government to ensure daily evacuation.
Similarly, Aminu Lawal, Chairman of the Yankaba Market Association, noted that their major challenge is road network and waste disposal within the market. He noted that, sometimes they mobilized to evacuate the refuse by tasking their members to clean their immediate place of business but their greatest challenge is where to channel it appropriately as sometimes it pile up beyond their capacity to evacuate it.
Lawal also called for the reintroduction of market cleaners which will further help in maintaining good hygiene and environment.
Safiu Abdullahi, a leader of traders from Yan Lemo market lamented how refuse has been piling up around their market, some lingering for over years without evacuation. He said, most of our goods are perishables.
“Some for over four years that have not been evacuated and the smell and decomposement is really affecting us. We are willing to cooperate with the board in order to dispose of our refuse and waste appropriately,” he said.
In his part, Managing Director of the Board, Alh. Ahmadu Haruna Danzago pointed out that the meeting was to discuss the way forward and also to discourage what is happening regarding heaping refuse around major roads of the markets.
“We called them to seek their advice and tell them our intention and also to sensitize them on the importance of keeping a clean environment around their business premises.
While tasking them to utilize the lifter buckets that will be replaced in the market as well as the appropriate collection centers, Danzago also charged them to cooperate and work together for effective results.
