Lagos — Lagos State government has started moves to contain the rising trends of indiscriminate disposal of electronic wastes especially at dumpsites and some known electronic markets in the state. To this effect, the government through the Lagos State Environmental Agency (LASEPA) has engaged a consultant to mop up all obsolete and faulty electronic equipment within the Lagos metropolis.
The preferred handler, Messrs. Maintenance System Consultant has been contracted by the state agency to evacuate electrical/electronic waste of industries, markets, organisation, manufacturers and other stakeholders to its new site at Tamalo Village, along Ogijo Shagamu Road. The dumpsite covers a total of two and half acres of land.
In a statement released the agency and signed by Mrs. Olufemi Daramola, it noted that the General Manager of LASEPA, Mr. Adebola Rasheed Shabi, at the flag off of the contract, expressed shock at the proliferation of "e-wastes", in the nooks and crannies of the state.
He said that some of electronic users did not understand the hazards associated with the use of faulty electrical/electronic equipment dumped indiscriminately at electronic markets, dumpsites and the environment in particular.
According to him, "once the deposits from the dumping of the electronic equipment infiltrate into the soil, the poisoning is unimaginable and could be horrifying."
"Heavy metals such as silicon, lead, mercury, and other related items had been found in rivers, lakes and water with adverse effects on human cells, which had been traced to illegal and indiscriminate dumping of e-waste into water bodies thereby percolating into soil.
Work specifications of the consultant include the mandate to monitor and enforce the management of electronic equipment being imported and distributed within the state. Some of the electronic materials listed include such dangerous materials like integrated circuit (IC), transformers, capacitors, tubes and resistors among others.
LASEPA noted that it would soon embark on a massive public enlightenment and awareness campaign in schools, markets and other end users of obsolete electronic products in order to promote a sustainable environment.
Daily Champion recalls that early last year, an international media had reported a massive shipment of containers filled with e-wastes found their way to a popular Lagos electronic market. It was not clear whether the latest move by the state agency was driven by the controversy sparked off during the news of the importation of the e-waste in 2009.
Source: Stan Okenwa, allAfrica.com
