Anyone passing through Kpegyi junction at any hour of the day is assaulted by the strong offensive odour that appears to envelope. It is hard to breathe around the location.
The smell is coming from the refuse dump by the roadside, packed chock full and overflowing with solid waste.
Mrs Blessing, is a fruit seller at the junction, said people don’t patronise her well because of the odour that takes over the atmosphere from the waste bin being so close to her stall. “I want them to move it to the front a little”.
Abigail, who is a food vendor at Pkeyi junction said the refuse dump affects them a lot. At times when there is wind, dirt from the refuse dump is blown right to the front of her shop where her customers sit to eat. According to her, the odour is so strong and often drives her potential customers away.
According to Abigail, the refuse is picked up every three(3) days although she would prefer the waste is carried daily.
There is a “Pkeyi junction” in almost every street, across all local governments in every state in Nigeria. One refuse dump site where refuse is overflowing, picked up at infrequent intervals and causing considerable air pollution at the surface.
Over 2 billion tons of solid waste, which is described as any type of garbage, trash, refuse or discarded material, is produced yearly across the world. It can be categorised according to where the waste is generated, for example as municipal solid waste, health care waste and e-waste.
A dataphtye report noted that Nigeria generates one of the highest volumes of solid waste in Africa with at least 32 million tonnes of solid waste generated annually.
The country’s management of solid waste is problematic and has been well documented just as its effects on the well being of its citizens and the environment. An increase in economic and developmental activity driven by production and consumption patterns as well as rapid urbanisation is driving the increase in solid waste.
Waste can be recycled and repurposed, used to generate wealth, jobs, and other advantages for the environment, society, and the arts but this is not the norm in Nigeria.
WAYS IMPROPER WASTE MANAGEMENT AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT
| Land Pollution | Diseases |
| Air Pollution | Plant Death |
| Water Pollution | Animal and Marine Death |
| Climate Change | Loss of Habitat |
| Extreme Weather | Loss of Biodiversity |
| Radiation and Hazardous Materials | Worsening Infrastructure |
For instance, Nigeria bears one of the heaviest burdens of malaria globally, the total traceable death by malaria in Nigeria as at 2020 is 31.8%. The total number of deaths by malaria in 2019 was 187,437 and in 2020, deaths stood at 199,689, which shows an increase of 6.5% within the period. Also the total number of malaria cases recorded in 2019 was 60.37 million, which is a 6.8% increase when compared to the number of cases in 2020 which recorded 64.46 million.
Refuse dumps, found in almost every area, are one of the breeding sites for mosquitoes.
Other diseases that can be traceable to poor waste management include typhoid, diarrhoea, cholera, asthma and bronchitis. In 2021, Nigeria recorded 111,062 Cholera cases and 3,640 cholera deaths.
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Nigeria has 24 offices located in several states in the six geo-political zones and the FCT. They are charged with the responsibility of waste management among other things but their ability to effectively carry out their responsibility is in question simply by the sheer amount of waste that can be found in almost every street, in every town across the country.
The harmful waste (special criminal provision) act of 2004 prohibits the carrying, deposition and dumping of harmful waste on any land, territorial water, and other related thereto. However, the enforcement of this law and other such laws for waste disposal and management appears weak.
Waste management directly impacts climate change efforts and proper waste disposal and management is a critical factor for any climate protection policies and actions. The impact of poorly managed waste on greenhouse gas emissions are significant and must be addressed alongside other climate considerations.
Recycling, recognised as one of the best methods for waste management, has not gained mainstream attention in Nigeria although a few “wastepreneurs” are emerging.
Although Nigeria’s Waste Management Policy contains climate change considerations, actions need to match policy especially in view of Nigeria’s Climate Agenda 2060.