OGWAMA commences clean-up of kara cattle market
By The Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), has commenced the clean-up of the Kara cattle market, Kara, Berger area of the state to ensure a clean and hygiene environment for effective livestock business.
Ola Oresanya, special adviser to the Governor on Environment and chief executive officer of OGWAMA who disclosed this during the flag-off of the exercise recently, said indiscriminate disposal of waste into the Ogun River, contributes immensely to the perennial challenge of flooding.
“It was learnt that wastes generated from the Kara abattoir like cow droppings, waste water, unused animal feeds, agricultural wastes, industrial wastes, market-related wastes, ash, black smoke, gaseous emissions and partially combusted materials, among others are constantly disposed into the river,” he said.
Oresanya revealed that the state government is ready to prevent indiscriminate disposal of wastes from the market into the river, as the practice will leads to flooding when the dam is opened.
“This market, which is the largest cattle market in the Southwest, is the gateway to Ogun State, and as good as it is, it has the challenge of environmental pollution, especially disposal of wastes into the Ogun River. Whatever happens to the river affects people using the water. The fact is that we don’t want these wastes to go into the river, our efforts are basically to control the wastes,” Oresanya said.
“It has been discovered that about 25 to 30 tons of waste is generated daily, which goes into the river and we are ready to stop it, to stop the issue of flooding. The ministry of agric will work with the market to treat the waste and ensure it doesn’t flow into the river. Water hyacinth indicates pollution, we don’t want water hyacinth,” he added.
“The Kara market you are seeing today will change, we are preserving the market. The state government is looking at putting a recycling plant here, to recycle the wastes. If this comes to fruition, it will ensure job creation and other opportunities for people,” he further said.
Oresanya noted that a fence would be constructed to demarcate where the cattle are placed and the road, adding that wastes will be evacuated daily.
Similarly, Babalola Akeweje, secretary of the Oniwanishola Market & Cattle Dealers Nigeria Ltd, who revealed that the market has been in existence for over 30 years, promised that the market will cooperate with the state government to achieve a cleaner market.
He, however, noted that the cattle market is still in dire need of a drainage system, more boreholes and covering of the slaughter slab, adding that they’ll do their best to ensure that the market is always clean.
Henceforth, the market leaders have been directed to engage at least twenty sweepers that will daily sweep the market environment while waste Private Sector Provider PSP has been assigned to cart away all the waste generated daily.
Three big bins have also been provided by the Ogun State government to also stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the ground.