LASG dispels insinuations that Lagos is smelling
Lagos State Government on Sunday, dispelled viral insinuations that the state is smelling, stating that it is committed to a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to ensure a clean, resilient and livable city.
A release signed by the State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, reeled out practical measures the state is taking to demonstrate that Lagos is rather evolving and not smelling.
He argued that the state government is fully committed to environmental sustainability and has developed a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to ensure a clean, resilient and livable city. Waste and sanitation challenges in a rapidly growing mega city like Lagos require structural solutions, not sound bites or political rhetorics.
The Commissioner also revealed that the model will be expanded later this year with the introduction of 500 tricycle compactors across similar areas. He explained that within the next 18 months, the state will close Olusosun and Solous three landfills, transitioning them into modern Transfer Loading Stations where waste will be sorted, compacted and redirected to recycling facilities.
He said Lagos is also advancing its Waste to Energy project in Epe that will process 2500 tonnes of Municipal solid waste daily generates 60-80 megawatts of electricity, contributing clean energy to the Lagos power grid.
Wahab maintained that in the past two years, industrial effluent discharge into the Lagos waterways have reduced by 25 percent owing to the consistency of Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) in regulating their discharge through permits, fines, penalties and outright publicised seals.
He stated that the State is already implementing bio-remediation techniques to improve surface water quality through natural purification processes to improve the quality of water in the lagoon and canals. He informed that the state through the Waste Water Management Office (LASWMO) has deployed three Modular Septage Pre-Treatment plants (MSPP) enabling efficient treatment of fecal sludge before discharge into the Odo Iya Alaro water body.
He added that the LASWMO also enforces strict compliance among members of the Sewage and Wastewater Dislodgers Association of Nigeria to prevent water indiscriminate dumping of wastewater and ensure best practices in sewage evacuation.
