Traders in Osiele Market in the Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State have expressed fear of disease outbreak over the closeness of the refuse dump site to their shops and stalls.
They said the refuse bin should be placed far from the market as it could cause a serious public health issue.
The traders also told PUNCH Metro that apart from the dangers it poses to their health, the situation has also reduced their sales as customers are unable to withstand the stench that oozes out of the refuse heap before it is cleared and would rather patronise traders whose stores are far from the refuse bin.
A trader, who sells used clothes, identified as Michael told PUNCH Metro that the refuse truck should be placed in a place far from their shops and not by the entrance of the market.
“Positioning the refuse bin at the entrance of the market is dangerous to our health. This could lead to disease outbreaks. Our health is at risk. It shouldn’t be positioned here but in a place far from the market,” he said.
Michael, who commended the government for clearing the refuse promptly, called for an urgent solution to the odour they inhale before it is cleared.
Another trader, called Mummy Easy, told our correspondent that the positioning of the refuse bin was dangerous, saying it has occupied a huge part of the road.
“It is already on the road and vehicles find it difficult to park. There are many reckless drivers on the road and this can lead to accidents. It also contributes to traffic on market days,” she said.
A passerby, Temitope Oderinde said she found it difficult to breathe whenever she passed through the market road, noting that the smell that oozes out of the refuse truck had stopped her from patronising traders around its perimeters.
When contacted, the Head of Media, Ogun State Waste Management Authority, Rotimi Oduniyi, said market leaders agreed that the bin should be positioned at the entrance of the market as there was no other suitable place for it.
He said, “There is no other place to put the bin because the anterior part of the market is choked. We agreed with the market leaders to place it there, but what we do is to lift it and we do that as quickly as possible.
“Before we place any waste bin in any market in Ogun State, we liaise with the market leaders and the traders on where it will be convenient for them and us as well, so that it will be easy for us to lift. So, if they have any complaints, they will tell us and we have not received any complaints as of now.”
Meanwhile, residents of Magboro and Ibafo in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state have called on the state government to stop the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the walkway along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, saying such exposes them to diseases.
PUNCH Metro observed on Thursday that indiscriminate refuse disposal has caused heaps of refuse to spring up at various spots on the expressway’s walkway between Arepo and Ibafo.
A resident of Magboro who identified himself as Gbadebo, attributed the situation to the lack of designated spots for dumping of refuse in the area.
“When the cart pushers are paid, most of them come here in the night to dump the refuse along the road since there is nowhere to dump them,” he said.
An automobile technician in Magboro, Abdulrusheed Adeniyi, complained about the refuse dumped inside the drainage and the stench that oozes from it.
“They dump the refuse inside the gutter. We have complained but nothing has been done, the odour disturbs my customers. The government should set up a body to monitor the place,” he said.
A car wash operator in the area, Niyi Tayero, said, “People dump refuses here when there is no government body to monitor it. Who will stop them? Everybody is just doing what they like. Everywhere smells and health-wise, it is not okay as it is affecting us.”