Residents and business owners of Maidan-Orile community in Kosofe Local Council Development Area of Lagos State have expressed concern over environmental pollution by makeshift toilet operators in the area.
Residents lamented that the public toilets installed by the Hausa have made life unbearable.
Efforts to get the attention of government agencies have failed.
During a visit to the community on Monday, PUNCH Metro He found that the Maidan community and its surroundings reeked of the stench of human waste.
It was discovered that a river in the village community had been taken over by refuse dumps and excreta.
Our correspondent, who was canoeing from one stretch of the river to another, saw that many public toilets were channeling excreta into the river.
The affected areas were Ibrahim Sanusi Estate, Adeyeye Street and river banks around Agiliti pedestrian link bridge.
As the heavy rains were believed to have destroyed the only bridge connecting the community to the 12th kilometer, residents resorted to canoes to cross the river.
PUNCH Metro he noted that the river stank, as excrement littered its surface.
Our reporter saw no less than 10 public toilets in different locations.
It was learned that some Hausa in the community owned and operated public toilets.
While three of the toilets were built of bricks, the other seven were wooden structures.
Residents, mainly Hausas, disclosed that they paid N100 to use the toilets, where they bathed while using river water to wash themselves.
They talked to some neighbors PUNCH Metro, Alleged collusion between commune owners and officials from the state Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.
Residents said that the business of public toilets had become profitable in the area because of the large number of Hausa in the community.
The chairman of the Maidan Patele Community Development Association, Adekunle Owolabi, said the government had not responded to various letters written by the group.
He said the smell of the river was unbearable for the residents.
“The community stinks. It is as if the Hausas are trying to control the area because the government has refused to do anything despite several appeals.
“We have written to the state government, the local government and the House of Assembly. We have reported the issue, but no action has been taken.
“Some of them have septic tanks to dump human waste into the river and when they do, no one in the community will be able to breathe.
“The smoke and smell are becoming unbearable. We want the government to come to our aid. They should help us with a motorized bridge and punish these people,” Owolabi added.
Another resident, Kolawole Oyesiku, disclosed that there was an outbreak of cholera in the community six months ago, which resulted in the death of some children.
He said: “Most public toilets do not have septic tanks. They are built as public toilets and people come to defecate directly in the river without considering the health consequences.
“I tried to contact the Ministry of Environment on several occasions, but I think some of their officials are getting something from the owners of the public toilets.
“From my research, I have also realized that there is a certain convention among the local authorities who come to collect monthly fees from the owners of public toilets, and there are those from the Ministry of Environment who come to collect fees; and also that of the Lagos State Waste Water Board.’
One of the owners of the toilets, who identified himself as Alhaji Tanko, said efforts were being made to properly dispose of human waste.
He said: “We are working to move this waste channel to the right place. We had a meeting two weeks ago and agreed to find a solution.
“If you look very closely, you will see that one of the public toilets now has a suitable septic tank for sewage. Many of us will also follow.’
A medical expert, David Ogunsanya, warned that the river’s pollution could lead to water-borne diseases.
According to him, “this practice of emptying toilet waste into river bodies has some serious negative effects both on the health of the people who have access to these bodies of water and, in general, on the environment.
“This causes faecal pollution of water bodies and, in general, the local environment, several water-borne diseases, that is, diseases transmitted by fecal pathogens in water; the most common are diarrhea and intestinal worm infections, but also typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, poliomyelitis, trachoma and others.’
Efforts to reach the State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources Tunji Bello were unsuccessful.
He did not pick her calls or respond to text messages sent to her phone and WhatsApp.
The Ministry’s Director of Public Affairs, Kunle Adeshina, could also not be reached for comment at press time.
