An environmentalist and human rights activist, Mr Musbau Olatunji, has advised Lagos residents to always dispose their waste properly and in designated areas.
Olatunji gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.
The human rights activists, who is also the National Coordinator, Majiyagbe Human Rights Volunteer, said his advice became necessary to reduce littering of waste on the streets and its health consequences.
”The raining season is here and after every rainfall, the streets and drainage canals will be littered with all kinds of waste that often block the drainage.
”Instead of water flowing through the channels freely, it overflows to the roads and cause grid lock and accident at times when drivers try to find their way through the flooded part of the road.
”This will reduce if the residents can cultivate the habit of disposing their waste when the trucks move round to collect them,” he said.
Olatunji said that the volunteer group had been able to mobilise residents to carry out cleaning of streets and opening up of drainage.
He said that the group had also started creating awareness around the Mushin and Isale Eko areas, for residents to know the importance of proper storage of waste before disposal.
Olatunji said the group was also encouraging people, especially youths, to collect waste that could be recycled and make some money selling them to companies that needed them.
He said that the group had been encouraging residents to also separate waste and put them in different bags for easy collection and disposal.
Olatunji said that residents could also make money disposing recycled materials, by selling them to those that needed them for further recycling.
He said that waste disposal in Lagos was a huge problem which could be solved with residents cooperation.