By Ufuoma Sekegor
The Delta State Waste Management Board has intensified efforts to improve environmental sanitation across the state, with the Acting Chairman, Hon. Mrs Ethe Enifome Odunwa, personally supervising maintenance and rehabilitation work at the Ibusa dumpsite.
The exercise, which involved grading, levelling and evacuation of accumulated waste, is designed to improve access to the facility, expand its operational capacity and provide a more efficient waste disposal environment for Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.
The intervention is also aimed at discouraging indiscriminate refuse disposal along adjoining roads and ensuring that waste management activities are conducted in a more organised and environmentally responsible manner.
Speaking during the supervision of the exercise, Odunwa explained that the maintenance of the Ibusa dumpsite forms part of the Board’s statewide programme to rehabilitate and sustain government-approved dumpsites across Delta State.
She stressed that regular maintenance of waste disposal facilities was essential to preventing environmental degradation and reducing public health risks associated with poorly managed dumpsites.
According to her, the Board’s commitment goes beyond fumigation exercises to include sustained maintenance of dumpsites to guarantee their functionality, accessibility and environmental safety.
“We are not just fumigating our dumpsites; we are also maintaining them to ensure they remain usable, hygienic and environmentally friendly,” she said.
Odunwa further noted that the Ibusa dumpsite serves several communities within Oshimili North and its surrounding areas, making its proper maintenance particularly important to effective waste management in the locality.
She assured residents that the Board would extend similar rehabilitation and maintenance interventions to other approved dumpsites across the three senatorial districts of the state.
The Acting Chairman said the initiative aligns with the MORE Agenda of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, particularly the administration’s commitment to building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment for residents.
She, however, urged residents of Ibusa and other communities in Oshimili North to support the government’s environmental sanitation drive by avoiding indiscriminate refuse disposal and patronising only accredited PSP operators for proper collection and disposal of household waste.
Odunwa reaffirmed the Board’s determination to sustain its interventions towards ensuring cleaner communities, improved environmental hygiene and a healthier Delta State.
