Onyebuchi Ezigbo
24 December 2008
Lagos — The problem of environmental degradation in Nigeria is fast assuming a worrisome dimension, just as efforts by various governments to address it have failed to live up to expectation. Onyebuchi Ezigbo writes on the need for government to explore a Public-Private Sector Partnership initiative to entrench a sustainable waste management regime in the country
Growing Danger
The need for a sustainable waste management regime in the country has become a major challenge facing various tiers of governance.
Considering colossal environmental and health damage uncontrolled disposal of refuse causes in the nation's neighbourhoods, various agencies and stakeholders have made efforts to try to tackle the menace, but to avail.
According to Federal Government's estimates, Nigeria loses N5.1bn annually to environmental degradation. Quoting World Bank's report in the 1990s, the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development said Nigeria loses about $55.1bn per annum from damages resulting from erosion, flooding and desertification.
Out of the country's 140million population, 50 million are said to be currently under the danger of looming erosion and flood disaster.
According to statistics on the state of environmental degradation in Nigeria obtained from the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, out of her total land mass of 923,000km2 about 60 per cent (553,300km2) is prone to the debilitating effect of erosion and flood.
The statistics further showed that in the last 20 years, over 1,500 hectares of land has been swept away by erosion at Agulu-Nanka in Anambra State.
The precarious situation has posed a serious challenge to environmental authorities in the country whose effort at stemming the erosion and flood menace has not yielded appreciable result.
A study of most of the country's urban towns where flood has wrecked havoc clearly shows that there is a linkage between existing poor waste management system and lack of good drainage to the incidence of flooding and erosion in the areas.
Collaborative Struggle
In an effort to find a more effective solution to the problem of poor waste disposal system, the federal government and the 36 state governments as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) came up with an agreement committing the two tiers of government to implementing strategies for sustainable management of the country's environment.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed last month in Abuja, is meant to ensure a coordinated policy implementation with regards to protection of the environment.
The agreement, contained in a written pledge of action by both the federal and state governments, was aimed at galvanising the resources and energies of the three tiers of government to implement policies and programmes that would help secure the environment and make it conducive for healthy living.
The Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development while rationalising the initiative said a great part of "our air, water and land have been polluted with heaps of decomposing municipal solid waste now becoming part of the regular landscape in most urban cities in the country."
It said the overall goal of the initiative is to mainstream environmental issues and concerns in the national priorities of Nigeria's development and secure commitment at the highest levels of national governance.
The government listed some of the key objectives of the collaborative agreement to include, raising national awareness on issues of environmentally sound development, mainstreaming environmental issues into the country's 7-point economic agenda and helping in the formulation of a National Environment Action Plan (NEAP).
It explained that collaboration has become necessary because of the growing intricate linkages between environment and socio-economic development.
Towards Effective Mgt
However, the issue of effective management of the environment goes beyond policy initiations and pronouncements. It is all about undertaking positive actions aimed at actualising these policies.
One way to ensure sustainable waste disposal system in the country is to establish a working synergy with private sector organisations to develop the right technology backed system of waste management.
A tour round most of our cities and urban centres, would show huge dumps of waste littering almost every corner. This is with all the attempts and efforts by government to implement measures to clean-up the streets in order to create a healthier society.
Such interventions by the authorities may not have yielded the desired result not because of lack of good intentions but probably because the right approach and system was not adopted.
Experts have therefore recognised the need to apply modern means of waste disposal management as way of containing the rising surge in refuse owing to mankind's ever changing consumption habits and industrialisation.
Summit of Concern
At a recent environment summit organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, participants canvassed for a revised National Policy on Environment, which is more participatory and to be backed up by appropriate laws.
They were also of the view that there should be strong definition of functions, roles and responsibilities among ministries, agencies and departments involved in environmental protection and management,
According the recommendations at the summit, existing laws and regulations governing environmental management should be reviewed, with Judges and Lawyers adequately trained to handle environmental matters, while special courts to handle environmental issues should be created.
The summit also urged Federal Government, and indeed other levels of governance, to try to prioritise issues of good environment management in their economic development policy and to reach out to the private sector for collaboration in tackling the challenges posed by ever increasing urban slums.
Recommendations of the environment summit ably supported the recent interest shown by a German company to help introduce a mechanised waste management system.
Expression of Interest
Schmidt-Kommunalfarhrzeuge, a firm specialising in waste disposal management and environmental protection, has declared its interest in offering the country free technical assistance in achieving sustainable waste disposal management.
Managing Director of the company, Mr. Lutz Krumniki, while unveiling the organisation's plan to assist in solving Nigeria's waste problem in Abuja, said rather than continue with present laborious approach, where women were engaged to sweep major roads in cities, the modern mechanical system encourages the use of special machines to clear dirt on the highways.
He said Schmidt-Kommmunal possessed the latest equipment and technology which the country apply for the effective disposal of refuse.
Also Krumniki said Schmidt-Kommmunal has established long year record in the area of environmental protection and requisite equipment handling.
According to him, Schmidt-Kommunal can offer better options on how best to clean -up the mounting garbage littering most of the country's urban centres by providing state of art machinery. This will take the risk away from the women currently being engaged to sweep major highways in the country.
However, the German believes the solution to Nigeria 's waste disposal problems can only found in a community propelled into action with government assisting to shoulder the responsibilities for cleaning up environmental wastes.
Krumniki explained that another effective way and strategy for addressing the environmental waste issue was making sure that industries and organisations that create wastes are made to take responsibility in clearing them up or paying for the clean-up.
"Nigeria is a rich country and has the resources to ensure the protection of her environment. It will be difficult talk to the people to do something about the environment when they do not have food and the right housing".
"Our intention is to partner with Nigerian stakeholders and decision-makers to find sustainable solutions to the problem of waste disposal management. We want to discuss the situation, develop solutions which will be substantial viable, highly efficient and affordable", he said.
He advised the government to take urgent step to address the problem of environmental degradation, adding that failure to act now may just be compounding the situation for the country's future generation.
Krumniki said a good garbage collection system has to be fully integrated into the over all national development strategy, adding that for it to be effective and yield the desired outcome, the system must adapt to the regional situation.
Profit Conversion
Contrary to the believe that the mountains of refuse dotting the streets of our major cities can easily be converted to produce the ever elusive energy supply, the German said most of wastes cannot burn.
"Nigeria's wastes will not be able to burn easily and will require a lot of energy to get out energy from it", he said.
The MD suggested that one of the best way to ride the country of the nuisance of wastes, is for government to ensure strict enforcement of the law on waste disposal management and to see that regulations are kept.
"The authorities must have to put in place a system that ensures that if someone throws away garbage on the street, he would be punished or sanctioned", he posited.
A consultant with the company, Mr. Magnus Onyibe, had said that part of the plans would be to come up with an initiative that all stakeholders, whether at the federal, state or local government levels can patronise and employed to ensure a sustainable environmental waste management regime in Nigeria.
Already, many state governments and private waste collectors have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for partnership and placed orders for German trucks and buckets.
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