Lagos: A Public Health Practitioner, Dr Akingbehin Akinbodunwa, has called on manufacturing companies, households, and the general public to manage their waste carefully to maintain a healthy environment.
Akinbodunwa, the National President of Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Association of Nigeria (EPHPAN), made the call on Tuesday in Lagos.
He decried that a wide range of diseases could be contracted and spread through an unclean environment.
Akinbodunwa explained that environmental pollution, including air, water, land, and noise pollution, negatively impacts ecosystems, human health, and the overall condition of the planet.
He added that industrial and vehicular emissions, power plants and agricultural activities were also part of the threat to a safe environment.
The EPHPAN president noted that proper waste management by companies and households could curtail the problem of the arbitrary disposal of toxic and solid waste that pollutes the environment.
According to him, due to the hazardous nature of chemicals from industrial activities, companies need to go the extra mile to dispose of effluents appropriately.
“Manufacturing processes can generate chemical wastes which can be toxic and pose threats to the environment and human health.
“To safeguard the environment and prevent the spread of diseases, manufacturing industries should look for a way to recycle the wastes because all waste is recyclable.
“Residue should be channelled into the effluent treatment plants where it will be treated and reused, and this could form an additional source of income.
“Appropriate identification, collection, separation, transportation, treatment, and disposal, as well as other important associated aspects, including disinfection, are parts of effective waste management,” Akinbodunwa said.
The environmentalist expressed concerns that improper management/disposal of waste not only pollutes the environment but also blocks drainage channels, causing floods and providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
He stressed the importance of keeping human waste out of water supplies, saying that if not properly managed, it could find its way into local water supplies through leaking septic tanks.
He stressed that industries without an effluent treatment plant should either install one or register with the waste management authorities.
“For households, they should have septic tanks for the waste at the front of their homes.
“The public needs to desist from the ugly act of disposing of waste into the drains or along the walkways.
“Trees and forests should not be cut or burnt – they are natural components that make the environment beautiful,” he said.
Akinbodunwa noted that environmental safety was a collective responsibility of everyone in society and should not be left solely to the state government.
He advised households and the general public to comply with environmental regulations to help the government realise its efforts to ensure a safe and healthy environment.