Concerned by the growing trend of environmental degradation occasioned by the activities of cart pushers, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has embarked on a clampdown on all forms of cart pushing in Somolu and Bariga area of the Strate.
A release issued by the Acting Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, over the weekend, stated that the Agency has stepped up efforts to make Lagos cleaner and livable for all through the introduction of novel waste management programmes in the State, as well as supporting PSP operators to discharge their primary duties effectively.
Odumboni, however, pointed out that efforts to protect the environment were being hampered by the activities of cart pushers who engaged in flagrant acts of indiscriminate waste disposal in such places as canals, road medians and undeveloped property, among others.
According to him, “The menace of cart pushing in some parts of the State has led to the rise of indiscriminate waste disposal and exposure of residents to myriads of health hazards, especially during this period that the Lagos State Government is tackling the COVID-19 pandemic”.
“We cannot fold our hands and watch few unscrupulous elements jeopardise efforts of the State Government to make the Lagos metropolis cleaner, healthier and livable for all. To this effect, all forms of cart pushing remains banned and anyone caught contravening the Environmental Laws of the State will face the full wrath of the law”, he added.
The Acting Managing Director, therefore, appealed to residents to imbibe the culture of bagging waste and handing it to the assigned PSP operators instead of patronising cart-pushers or dumping refuse on the roads and other unauthorised locations, urging residents to call LAWMA toll-free lines 07080601020 and 617 for all complaints and inquiries.