21st November, 2019
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Thursday in Abuja expressed concern over indiscriminate dumping of the construction wastes within the Capital City centre.
The Director, Department of Monitoring and Inspection of FCTA, Town Planner, Olawale Labiyi made this known during a news conference on the activities of the department from January and November 2019.
The department was established in April 2012, to ensure improved effectiveness and efficiency in service and project delivery by the FCT Secretariat, Department and Agencies (SDAs).
Labiyi said the department in the course of discharging its functions observed that construction company often dumped wastes in the wrong places within the city centre.
He said that the department identified problems and nuisance in public Educational and Health Institutions, Market and Housing Estate to the relevant SDAs for amelioration.
“Among the issues monitored in the city were the evacuation of domestic waste, vegetation and construction wastes, general cleanliness of the environment, social nuisance and areas prone to security risks and informal sector.
He, therefore, called on the Department of Development Control and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board to be proactive in ensuring that construction companies did not dump waste indiscriminately.
He also expressed concern over poor sanitation and increasing rate of open defecation, bad road and blocked drainages in Bwari Area Council and urged the Chairman of the council to put measures in place to address the challenges.
The director, however, said with the concerted efforts of the department, the level of cleanliness in the city had improved, adding that education and health institutions have also witnessed an improved state of environmental condition.
“The sanitation state of markets neighbourhood shopping centres and housing estates within the city has improved.
“Also there is a slight improvement in the sanitation conditions in major settlements at the area councils,” he said.