CHUKWUEBUKA OHIZU
The Environmental Health Department of Aba South Local Government had vowed to deal with all landlords indulging in acts capable of leading to outbreak of epidemic.
This is even as the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) equally vowed to hencey set painful examples with property owners, hoteliers and any citizen involved in channeling sewage into public drainages.
The authorities, in a separate reaction on Friday to antienvironment activities ongoing in the city, vowed to drop the full weight of the law on property owners indulging in indiscriminate disposal of sewage into public drainages and facilities in Aba.
Head, Environmental Health Department of Aba South LGA, Elder Ndibe Ugochukwu, warned that the authorities will not sit by and watch some unscrupulous elements expose Aba residents to avoidable health hazards.
Ugochukwu, who was reacting specifically to the sealing of a three-storey building nearing completion, at No 47 Port Harcourt Road, sealed for channeling sewages into the drainage.
The health boss regretted that over 70 percent of property owners, and developers in Aba, channeled waste products from their properties into public drainages.
He noted that such unhealthy activities are the most well-known causes of epidemics and other communicable diseases in the system.
“Look, the developer of the building at number 47 Port Harcourt road Aba, (a three story building) after spending millions of naira, in constructing the property, refused and or neglected to build simple soak away pits and other waste disposal facilities.
“He rather channeled the sewages into the drainages still under construction along the all important Port Harcourt road by Julius Berger.
“When we discovered the development, we (Environmental officials) approached him, and requested him to abandon the unwholesome and illegal move.
“But you can’t believe that he blatantly refused and insisted on going ahead with the project, including breaking part of the drainages under construction.
“He was given 7 days notice to construct a soak away pit to re channel all the waste. We served him an abate notice on December 31,2024, urging him to stop work.
“After the expiry of the notice still refused to do what is needed and was bent on breaking government drainage to channel waste.
“About 70% of landlords and business premises owners in Aba channeled sewages into public drainages and we will not allow such to continue.
“At this point, we had to apply the law by having the building sealed with our sister agency, GADA. We have taken him to court for willfully exposing residents to serious health hazards and the destruction of public property.”
Ugochukwu, however, expressed concern that he was being made to understand that some officials of GADA have unsealed the property without reference to the Environmental Health Authority.
He stressed that that notwithstanding, the Environmental Health authority is determined to apply the full weight of the law to serve as a deterrent to others in the habit of making public drainages their waste disposal facilities.
Ugochukwu revealed that all property owners in the city must have sizable septic tanks and soak away pits in line with the provisions of the Public Health Law CAP 103, Vol 6 of 2005.
Management of the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) while responding, denied that the agency unsealed the building at Port Harcourt Road.
Arch. Uche Ukeje, the Director General of GADA explained that his agency operated with due process through the removal of barriers that will enable the property owner to have access to the property and equally make the corrections.
He reaffirmed GADA’s readiness to work collaboratively with other bodies to halt illegal channeling of waste products into drainages.
Ukeje informed that stringent penalties, including prosecution and fines have been lined up as punishments for those channeling waste products into drainages on major roads across the cities of the state.
GADA DG stated the agency has taken measures to deter landlords and business premises from the unwholesome activities of channeling waste into public drainages.
Ukeje informed the agency has resolved to prosecute and impose fines ranging from N200, 000 (for unoccupied buildings) to N500,000 (for occupied buildings) on landlords who engage in channeling waste into public facilities.
“When the matter of the building on Port Harcourt Road came up, I sent a team there on January 2. The team worked in synergy with the health officials and eventually the place was sealed.
“It wasn’t hidden because we put it up on the media. As usual, you will not seal somebody’s property forever. The reason you seal is for the proper things to be done and not to demolish.
“He (developer) was instructed to construct a septic tank to channel his waste properly, and there is no way he can do that without gaining access to the property.
“Therefore, in real terms, the property is still sealed. But, we only allowed the developer to go in and effect the corrections demanded of him by the law. We didn’t unseal it to encourage any form of illegality going on there. We only allowed him to gain access to effect the correction only.”
Ukeje explained that when a building is under seal, no work will go on there unless the barrier is removed, and that was what GADA did to remove the red tape and allow the developer to do the corrections.
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