Cross River partners Israel, Ireland to manage waste

Worried about the mountain of refuse dumps in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Governor Ben Ayade has announced plan to partner with a team from Israel and Dublin, in order to effectively manage its wastes.

Ayade made the disclosure while inspecting Lemna and the new Idundu dumpsites in Calabar at the weekend.

He maintained that refuse collection was not the main challenge but its disposal, hence the need for his administration to go into partnership with the foreign firms for an effective waste management.

The governor said if the plan comes to fruition, the state might be the first in the country to adopt advanced technology in waste management.

Ayade said: “It is unacceptable and totally unhealthy for both wastes and human beings to coexist side by side,” adding that “when the place was designated as a dumpsite, nobody was living there.”

He expressed worry that the dumpsites were now sharing the same environment with human beings, thus informing the need for an “alternative place for a new dump site.”

The governor said he has increased his budgetary provisions for waste disposal to meet the challenges of the piles of waste in the city.

At the Lemna dump site, Ayade who was literally swathed by a heavy stench from the over 30 trucks waiting to discharge the already evacuated wastes, appealed to the people to be patient, as the challenge would soon be surmounted.