By David Owei,Bayelsa <\/p>\n
Growing heaps of uncollected refuse and the choking stench from waste dump sites are rapidly turning parts of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, into an environmental and public health concern.<\/p>\n
Residents and business owners along the Azikoro Road axis, where overflowing waste collection points now emit offensive odours described their conditions as unbearable.<\/p>\n
Also, Keke Riders tricycle operators and passengers are seen covering their noses while passing through the area, while some businesses situated near the dump sites are said to be relocating due to the persistent foul smell.<\/p>\n
Drainage systems around the affected areas have also become clogged as refuse spills into gutters, increasing fears of flooding and disease outbreaks.<\/p>\n
Investigations indicate that the worsening sanitation situation may be linked to challenges within the operations of the Bayelsa State Environmental Sanitation Authority (BESA), the agency established by Governor Douye Diri to implement a modern waste disposal and recycling framework.<\/p>\n
Sources familiar with developments disclosed that a private company contracted for refuse evacuation is currently involved in a disagreement with the Authority over issues relating to payment and operational coverage. <\/p>\n
A senior official of the company, who requested anonymity, claimed that the dispute has disrupted waste evacuation efforts and undermined the broader environmental goals of the state government.<\/p>\n
Some of the Residents who spoke with our correspondent say the worsening conditions now pose serious health and economic implications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe smell from the dumps is unbearable, especially in the evenings. We cough and sneeze constantly. This has become a serious health hazard,\u201d said Mr Ebiowei Akimi.<\/p>\n
Another resident, Mrs Patience Ogbomo expressed concern over the situation, saying sanitation standards in the capital had deteriorated significantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to have better sanitation before. Now refuse is everywhere and nobody seems to care. Our children are the ones suffering most,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A shop owner near one of the affected locations, Mr Tari Preye, said the poor environmental conditions have impacted businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of us are leaving because customers complain about the odour. Sales have dropped drastically. If urgent action is not taken, this area could become deserted,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By David Owei,Bayelsa Growing heaps of uncollected refuse and the choking stench from waste dump sites are rapidly turning parts of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, into an environmental and public health concern. Residents and business owners along the Azikoro Road axis, where overflowing waste collection points now emit offensive odours described their conditions as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13915"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13917,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13915\/revisions\/13917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}