While many will commend Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) for their desilting programe in Owerri, the agency is also receiving back clash for their failure to evacuate tray fields dumped in several streets of Owerri on Monday
ENTRACO enforced a compulsory cleaning of drainages in Owerri where residents and business owners were threatened with a law suit and fine if they failed to desilt the drainages passing through their premises
Consequently, Owerri residents swung into actions with the results turning Owerri city into a pile of refuse dumps in various locations
Some of these dumps are seeing their second day with many saying that ENTRACO is presently overwhelmed by the amount of jobs it has created for itself
“It would have been better if ENTRACO enforced this programme on batch bases. We now have our streets blocked with heaps of refuse and it doesn’t look good at all”, and Owerri residents said.
Another person who spoke to Otowngist said that the government is misusing their power. He added that it is unfair that the government through ENTRACO will threaten people with law suits and fines for not distilling their drainages but no one can take the government to court for not doing their part which is simply to evacuate the refuse from the streets.
“ENTRACO should apply wisdom in their operations. If they have the workforce that can enforce fine collection in all corners of Owerri, why can’t they provide the same to evacuate the refuse”
“Today, roads are blocked and just a little rain, some of the refuses have gone back to the drainages and the worst part is that no one cares about the health and psychological implications of these things that are left on the streets for a very long time.”, another resident whose shop has been blocked by one of the refuse dumps said.
While the outcry is on the high side, Imolites are calling on governor Hope Uzodinma to expand and upgrade ENTRACO’S facilities to enable them be able to evacuate refuse dumps across Owerri in less than 12 hours.
