The Ekiti State Government has warned residents against improper waste disposal and other activities capable of endangering public health or causing environmental nuisance.
The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, condemned the practice of discharging wastewater into drainage channels, saying it could cause offensive odour.
Aluko-Ajisafe, according to a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Friday, gave the warning following complaints by residents of Third Extension, GRA, Ado Ekiti, about activities capable of causing obnoxious odour.
According to her, a joint task force from the ministry and security agencies visited the area following the complaints and discovered that accumulated kitchen waste from a catch pit had been evacuated into a public drain, causing the offensive odour.
The commissioner, who condemned the practice, warned that the government would not tolerate activities capable of causing environmental nuisance or posing health risks to residents.
“An abatement notice has been issued to the resident involved. Further action will be taken in accordance with relevant environmental laws to serve as a deterrent to others,” she said.
Aluko-Ajisafe, who commended the residents for promptly reporting the incident, urged members of the public to provide useful information to the ministry to assist efforts to tackle recurrent obnoxious odour in the state.
She said the ministry had made several arrests and prosecuted offenders as part of efforts to address environmental nuisance, adding that enforcement would be sustained to ensure a clean and safe environment in the state.
Residents have, for some weeks, been complaining of offensive odour in parts of the state capital, which the state government had said it was investigating with a view to bringing the situation to an end.
The Information Commissioner, Taiwo Olatunbosun, had in a recent statement assured residents that “the situation is being closely monitored. The state government is working with relevant agencies and experts to ensure that the matter is properly investigated and appropriate measures taken to normalise the situation.”
Olatunbosun had reiterated the Biodun Oyebanji administration’s commitment to protecting the environment and ensuring a clean, safe and healthy environment for all residents of Ekiti State.
