BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

THE Lagos state government, through the state Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, has sanctioned at least three Private Sector Participants, PSPs saddled with waste collection and disposal and issued warning to several others over alleged increment in the monthly service charges to residents across the state.

Vestiges of poverty, feeding from the waste dump

At the Local Government level which is the third tier of government, waste/environmental management unit handles general environmental sanitation.

The unit is headed by a Chief Environmental Health Officer, CEHO, under direct supervision of the Executive Chairman .

The CEHO is responsible for policy formulation, implementation, inspection, monitoring and prosecution of defaulters of any environmental offences at that level. They also liaise with the state government on environmental issues, through the Ministry of the Environment.

However, the peculiarity of the metropolitan status of Lagos could not allow the constitutional framework to operate, as regards waste management structure and responsibility.

General solid waste

LAWMA is responsible for general solid waste management and the management of all government disposal facilities. The PSPs involvement was as a result of irregular and erratic services of government owned agencies (Necessity and Invention).

PSP pilot scheme project in 1996/1997 started with 22 Private Sector Service Providers (PSSPs). Today, over 750 formal PSPs operate in the state.

Recently, residents have raised alarm over increment by PSP operators on the monthly service charges amidst erratic services.

In some cases, the PSP which often have their vehicles broken down for days on roads, appear on days convenient to them and not as scheduled.

Many residents who patronize them after the cart pushers had been banned, were shocked when letters started flying around from their PSP operators on the  increment in service charges claim to have been authorized by LAWMA.

Many wondered what should necessitate the increment in-spite of no added value to service.

One of the letters read;

The Landlord/ Occupier; We  are directed to inform you that as a result of increase in every aspect of waste management cost, the Authority reviewed monthly disposal charges as follows; Duplex; N1000, room, N200, room and parlour N400, shop N300 while flat is N750, bungalow N800 and  self contain/ mini flat N500.

These charges will take effect from January 2014. Let us join hands together to keep Lagos clean for healthy environment. Thank you for your continued cooperation.

When contacted, Managing Director of LAWMA, Ola Oresanya, said it is illegal for any PSP to increase the monthly charges as LAWMA has not approved any increment.

According to him: LAWMA has not approved any general increase in the tarrif for residential waste collection by PSP. Any erring  PSP will be sanctioned immediately.

“Though, presently, three erring PSP operators have been sanctioned in the last two weeks and many have been served warning to desist from such act.”

Oresanya, who did not disclose the names of the erring operators, therefore, urged residents to report any PSP operator that increase the service charges to LAWMA for appropriate action against such operator(s).