By Francis Sadhere
The Delta State Management board headed by Chief Douglas Okolotu has embarked on clean environment sensitization campaign in Warri, Udu and Uvwie Local Government Council Areas, telling the people on the need to keep their environment clean.
The Director of Operation, Delta State Waste Management Board, Mr. Cletus Bebefeghen who spoke to our correspondent on behalf of the chairman of the board, during the sensitization campaign around Warri, Udu and Uvie council areas said the board is ready to work with the people in ensuring that the streets are kept clean during and after the yuletide period.
He called on the people in the three Local Government Areas to always keep their environment clean as a clean environment ensures a healthy nation, adding that if the people keep their environment clean, the environment will be a healthy place to live in.
While saying that funding has remained a big challenge for the new board, the Chairman of the board said they are hitting the ground running and that they are committed to ensuring that people keep their environment clean at all time.
He said: The challenge we have right now is finance. But with the little we have we are doing our best to make sure that we do our best and impact positively on the environment. As you can see the number of PSP that we have is not enough but some of them told us that they are coming.
He said after the sensitization campaign, the board is going to set up tax force committees who will be going round to ensure that people keep their environment clean at all time, adding that defaulters will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
He said: “I want to let the people know that we are ready for them. Anyone caught disposing waste indiscriminately will be fined the sum of 50 thousand naira or he will be made to spend six months in prison. We are going this sensitization because we want people to know what we are going to do. After this stage we are going to start arresting defaulters who litter our streets with refuse. We want to let the public know that we have come to stay and we must achieve a clean Delta.
“What we are trying to do today is that we are embarking on sensitization campaign. We have not come out fully to do the job we are supposed to do because of financial constraint. This is a new board and we are trying to hit the ground running to tell people that we are here for business. Today we are doing this sensitization campaign with all the PSP in Uvwie, Effurun and Udu Local government areas are working with us.
After today, we are going to move to Ughelli to do the same thing there. The message we are taking to the people is that cleanliness is next to godliness. We want to let the people know that there is a board in place and that we are ready to work with the people to ensure that we have a clean Delta.
Chief Okolotu urged Deltans to always keep their environment clean, stressing that a clean environment will keep them and their children from contacting avoidable diseases.
“My message to the people is that a clean environment is a healthy environment. We do not want a situation whereby our children will come from school and are sick with cholera and other diseases because of our dirty environment. We are encouraging them to make use of the services of the PSPs. We don’t want people to be dumping refuse indiscriminately. PSPs will be coming to your doorsteps everyday to pick your refuse for you. We want people to patronize the PSPs and at the end of the month they are only going to pay a token for thes services. We are not going to take it likely with anybody that disposes his refuse on the road, the Delta Waste Management Board Chairman reiterated, he added.
