Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has unveiled plans to permanently relocate the dumpsite along the busy Port Harcourt Airport–Obiri-Ikwerre Road, describing the current location as both a public health threat and a damaging first impression for visitors arriving in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The governor made this known during an inspection of a proposed replacement site, which is a disused burrow pit near Bambo Estate, off Eneka Road in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The location is being assessed as a potential permanent dumpsite for the state.
Gov. Fubara, who was conducted around during the inspection visit by the Chairman of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, and its Managing Director, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, expressed concern about the environmental and health challenges posed by the existing site, which sits along a major entry point into the state.
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“The kind of environmental hazards that we are facing there along the Airport–Obiri– Ikwerre Road; the smell on that road being the entrance into the state, we felt it’s not proper,” he said.
“So, we are making alternative arrangements so we can have a permanent refuse dumpsite that meets acceptable standards.”
He added that the government would move swiftly to formalise the ownership of the land and complete construction work on the access road to make the new site functional.
“We have not concluded the issue of the burrow pit, but on the access road, I think the government is doing something about it.
“So, I will make sure that everything that needs to be done to ensure the government owns this burrow pit is done,” he stated.
Gov. Fubara also commended the RIWAMA for what he described as a more assertive and improved approach to managing refuse across the state.
In addition to the dumpsite inspection, the governor also visited the Permanent Secretaries’ Quarters located in Elimgbu Town in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, to assess the extent of ongoing construction.
