As part of efforts to restore the clean and green status of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Governor Bassey Otu, has called on residents to adhere to the new refuse disposal guidelines.
According to the new guidelines, all refuse disposal by residents must be carried out between the hours of 6pm and 10pm daily to give room for evacuators who are expected to affect the final clearance of such waste from dumpsters to designated disposal points.
Otu posited that, “The new regulated waste disposal routine if strictly adhered to will allow for effective and efficient monitoring of indiscriminate refuse disposal by some residents as well as ensure robust evacuation by relevant government agencies.”
The governor, who frowned at the indiscriminate and unguided dumping of refuse by some residents especially those that empty their waste into gutters and drainage, directed the state waste management agency to live up to their responsibility in ensuring proper management of all waste generated in the metropolis.
Otu directed the Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA) to effectively mobilize its staff in their day-to-day cleaning of streets and desilting of gutters where necessary to allow for easy and free flow of water in the drains.
He use the occasion to remind residents of the need to cooperate with relevant government agencies in maintaining the aesthetics of the city center as well as imbibe refuse evacuation practices that will avert impending flood disasters as forecast by the Nigerian Metrological Agency.
The governor, warned the general public to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse as all defaulters no matter how highly placed will be prosecuted according to the environmental law of the state.
