The National Emergency Management Agency, Imo State office, on Tuesday, began sensitisation in markets to check against flooding and environmental hazards.
NEMA South-East Zonal Director, Walson Ibarakumo, told traders at the Relief Market, Owerri, that the agency had begun sensitisation in markets to alert people on the dangers of indiscriminate refuse disposal.
Ibarakumo said accumulated refuse blocks drainage, which in turn causes flooding, noting that flooding in Owerri was caused by habits.
He said, “We have come to appeal to you to always dispose of your refuse properly to avoid blocked drainage. When you throw refuse into gutters during rainfall, you harm yourself in the long run.
“When drainage blocks, it results in flooding. And if any part of the market is flooded, the government will order a closure. So you see, you have a responsibility to ensure that you dispose of refuse carefully and properly, too,” Ibarakumo said.
NEMA Head of Operations for Imo and Abia States, Nnamdi Igwe, said the weather forecast and predictions had warned that Imo State was at risk of flooding.
Igwe said, “With the torrential winds and rainfall patterns, it’s not safe for you to dispose of refuse anyhow. Please dispose of them properly so as to avoid flooding.
“When markets are polluted, it causes health hazards and may trigger an epidemic. Please keep the market safe and dispose of your refuse properly.
“Please take your health seriously because it is cheaper to be healthy than to treat avoidable concerns like cholera, dysentery, typhoid and the like,” Igwe said.
The traders who spoke lamented that there were not enough waste bins in the market to cater to the level of debris accumulated.
Mrs Cecilia Okechukwu called for sustained sensitization to inculcate in traders the need to keep their surroundings clean and dispose of refuse properly.
Other traders appealed to officials of the Eastern Waste Management Agency (EWAMAC) to provide waste bins throughout the market to reduce the accumulation of refuse.
The rally was attended by officials of the Imo State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Federal Road Safety Corps, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Federal Fire Service, Journalists, and others.
