The Rotary Club of Port Harcourt ECO
says it is poised to ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment devoid
of heavy metals, such as lead, mercury cadmium and arsenic.
This was the thrust of a
sensitization exercise embarked upon by the Rotary Club, Port Harcourt ECO,
Thursday at the New Layout Market in Port Harcourt City Local Government
Area, Rivers State.
Addressing, the traders and
executive in the presence of officials from both the ministries of Health and
that Environment, the President, Rotary club, Port Harcourt ECO, Rtn Dr.
Anthony Ikpor says the essence of the sanitation exercise is that "our
immediate environment, is essential to our general well-being" adding that
sanitation is a totality of maintaining and sustaining a hygienic living.
"
Ikpor went further to posit that
sanitation also involved an environment that was free of human, industrial and
other wastes capable of causing various forms of Diseases that threaten as well
as affect human health and that was according to him, what Rotary Port
Harcourt Eco is advocating for.
He noted that "in our daily
attempt to survive, we have severely impacted on Environment" as according
to him, such survival has resulted in generating hazardous elements in
biological, chemical, physical and sociological conditions which are
counterproductive to a clean and healthy environment.
Rtn, Ikpor, an astute Banking
Executive, Environmental protection advocate and a business management
consultant observed that "to clean and maintain a serene
environment becomes our primary gap that Rotary Club, Port Harcourt ECO is here
to address"
While reminding the traders of the
New Layout Market of dire consequences of not carrying out proper
environmental sanitation and waste management, he added that it was not
difficult to ascertain that inappropriate waste disposal encourages flies,
mosquitoes, rodents and stray animals that spread diseases.
He went further to posit that open
defecation, improper waste collection and disposal were increasingly worrisome
and detrimental to the traders' health even as he added that Rotary Club Port Harcourt
ECO was on a robust awareness advocacy and sanitation campaign to the occupants
of the New Layout Market on the need to clean their business environment
through sanitation.
He therefore, called on the Rivers
State Ministry of Environment,and Rivers state Waste management Agency
(RIWAMA) to collaborate with Rotary Club Port Harcourt ECO to drive and sustain
the process across Port Harcourt City, Council, even as he charged
the media to be part of this process by educating the citizens on the need for
a clean and healthy environment.
Also speaking, the Rivers state
Commissioner of Health, Dr Mrs Adeze Ureh, who was represented by the Director
Environmental Health, Services Chetachuku Bestman Akachuku, applauded, Rotary
club Port Harcourt ECO for the environmental sanitation advocacy. Dr Ureh said
that the issue of environmental sanitation is very important and encompasses
homes, offices, schools, public places including the Markets.
Dr Ureh who bemoaned the
inappropriate disposal of non biodegradable wastes like the plastics which
she
said would cause stagnation of waters and also breed mosquitoes which are
careers of diseases said "such materials could stay upto 100 years and
when they are not properly disposed could cause stagnation of waters and when
such happens, it breeds mosquitoes and other harmful toxic chemicals which
could in turn cause some health hazards.
She stressed that right from the
homes we engage in environmental clean up without knowing it, saying "when
you wake up in the morning, you brush your teeth, arrange your bed, you sweep
your houses.
"When you go to the
market, you buy some vegetables, meat and you wash them because you do not know
how healthy those selling them are, you are automatically engaging in Environmental
sanitation "Adding if you subject human beings to a medical
checkups, in hospitals, you are equally sanitizing the body," she
said.
Insisting that "it is a good
idea for the society to always make it a daily habit to clean their
environment, dispose appropriately to ensure a healthy
living."
"Our environment must always be
kept clean, environmental sanitation should be a daily routine." She
emphasized.
In the same vein, the Commissioner
for Environment Rivers state, Engr Austin Ben Chioma, has called for
collaborative efforts among private and public sectors in Rivers state to
ensure a clean and healthy environment.
Speaking through the Deputy
Director, in the Rivers state Ministry of Environment Nnedam Morgan who
represented him at the Environmental Sanitation exercise, organized by Rotary
club Port Harcourt ECO in conjunction with (RIWAMA) Chioma said
"Man's open surrounding is the environment while sanitation is the
cleaning of man's open surrounding"
He added that the Ministry is
advocating for more collaborative efforts with the private sector
to ensure a clean and healthy environment for Rivers people.
Continuing, Chioma said, this is
what the Ministry should always be doing even as he noted that what Rotary Club
Port Harcourt ECO is doing is very important while urging people to key into
it. According to him, you can only function properly when you are healthy as a
dirty environment would always cause diseases which would affect the person' s
performance. Saying " you can only come to the market to sell if you are
healthy"
He promised a full packaged lecture
on environmental sanitation any other time the exercise would take place.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, the metron
of the Rivers state markets Association and former Woman leader, New Layout
Market, Borikiri Mrs Gloria Apakawari has praised Rotary club Port Harcourt ECO
for coming to the Market.
Mrs Apakawari who traced the
existence of the Market to the 1970s insisted that the market was the first
major Market in Rivers state and is known for its cleanliness.
She said, despite having a two
time infano that engulfed the Market, the traders have remained committed and
determined to survive.
She regretted the challenges facing
the traders such as lack of amenities in the market, reduced patronage,
absence of security lights and good drinking water due to the leaking
storage water tank, dangers posed by cracked walls of the market and the government
inability to fully complete the market among others.
She then called on the Port Harcourt
City Council and the Rivers state Government to come to their aid while
thanking the Rotary Club Port Harcourt ECO for donating some waste
disposal items such as waste nylon bags, waste bins, rakes, spades among others
which she said was the first of its kind even as she enjoined other
organisations in Rivers State to emulate what Rotary Club Port Harcourt ECO is
doing.
The Chairperson, Rotary club Port
Harcourt ECO, environmental sanitation and sensitization advocacy committee,
Dr Vivian Ozokwe says her members are bothered about what is happening in
the environment, even as she commended the Traders for keeping the Market
clean.
Ozokwe said keeping the environment
dirty comes with consequences which she traced to diseases like Typhoid,
Cholera, Cough, Diarrhea among others.
She noted that indiscriminate
disposal of refuse was not good but was quick to point out that she was
satisfied with the level of participation among traders in their efforts to
keep the Market clean.
She however, advised that they
should continue in that spirit as the benefits of a healthy environment are
enormous.
On her vote of thanks, to mark the
end of the event, Sele May Aso, an Asst. Director, in the Ministry of
Environment, Rivers state and also a member, Rotary club Port Harcourt ECO,
said she was happy with the successes recorded in the attendance even as
she used the opportunity to thank the commissioners of Health and that
Environment and their representatives for attending despite their tight
schedules.
She also praised the Traders who
left their business to be part of the programme and advised that they should
make use of the advice given them and continue in their drive to ensure a clean
and healthy market stressing that her club will continue to partner with them
and assist them when the need arises.
The high point of the event was the
official hand over of some waste disposal items donated by Rotary Club, Port Harcourt
ECO to the New Layout Market executive.
**ENDS***
By
Bon Peters,
Port
Harcourt, Rivers State
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