Environment ministry sensitizes Dutsen-Makaranta residents over cleanliness

Written by Usman A. Bello & Olayemi R. Ibrahim Monday, 20 June 2011 00:00

Officials of the Ministry of Environment at the Weekend sensitized residents of Dutsen –Makaranta on the need for them to keep their environment clean.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Muhammed Sambo Bashir, represented by Olorunfunke Babade, said the exercise was meant to create awareness for the national sanitation day which comes up on June 28 and for residents to always keep their environments clean.

“The Federal Government has declared June 28 as national sanitation day and it is in the light of this that we are having this clean- up exercise to create awareness and to sensitize residents on the need to keep their environment clean and wash their hands after packing refuse, so that the need to go to the hospital would be drastically reduced,” she said.

According to her, residents should always pack waste generated into polythene bags and dump them in designated places, where council sanitation officials can easily evacuate them.

She said to sustain the exercise, they have discussed with community leaders, schools and local people who will take up from where they stopped, adding that some environmental health officials would also come to the community on regular bases to talk to them.

One of the residents, Chika Uzor, said the exercise is a welcome development to the community and hoped it would be sustained so that people can learn to keep their environment clean to avoid illness.

She called on the area council authority to ensure that refuse is evacuated promptly to avoid discomfort to passersby.