The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has partnered Fumman Nigeria Limited to ensure effective operation of Effluent Treatment Plants towards keeping the environment pollution-free.
General Manager of LASEPA, Dr. Tunde Ajayi, at a one-day workshop for critical stakeholders operating in the state’s built environment, said the workshop is to ensure ways of improving the environment for quality living.
The workshop was themed ‘Effective Operation of Effluent Treatment Plants’.
According to Ajayi, the workshop’s theme demonstrates the agency’s commitment to implementing government’s policies and programmes on clean and sustainable environment that is safe, secure and pollution-free to ensure a healthy citizenry and protection of the ecosystem.
He added: “We went on an inspection tour of the state’s industrial areas, especially, manufacturing firms to see how they treat effluents, as part of the agency’s proactive measures to combat environmental pollution.
“But we realised that most of the Effluent Plants in the firms visited were either not working due to mechanical faults or completely abandoned for lack of knowledge on their effective operations. The implication of this is that most manufacturing companies that have issues with their Effluent Treatment Plants discharge their raw effluents directly into the drains, environment or the water bodies.
“This has continued to be a major threat to public health and the environment as such activities have negative impacts on human health and the ecosystem.
“If we therefore continue to enforce laws on violation of environmental laws, especially on the management and treatment of effluents from manufacturing industries, without organising a technical training session like this to help operators gain the required knowledge and basic operational skills needed for efficient ETP operations, we will be far away from solving the problem and continue to endanger the people’s health of the citizenry. We will also be putting the safety and protection of the aquatic animals at risk.”
Special Adviser to the governor on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, said the government expects the companies to comply with the rules and regulations guiding environmental management in the state.
