Abstract
Environmental hazards are responsible for about a quarter of the total
burden of disease worldwide and as much as 30% in regions such as
sub-Saharan Africa. As many as 13 million deaths can be prevented
every year by making our environments healthier. These facts and
figures highlight the impact of environmental factors on public
health. More than 2.4 billion people in the world currently lack
access to adequate sanitation and are forced to dispose of their
excreta in unimproved and unsanitary conditions. Those who suffer from
this, lack most basic human needs and also tend to be victims of
poverty, ill health and an overall poor quality of life. The objective
of this paper is to raise consciousness of improper waste management habit of residents of Agege.
INTRODUCTION
All over the world, poor environmental quality is increasingly recognized as a major threat to social and economic development and even to human survival. This can be achieved through an effective environmental sanitation practice. Roland et al. (2004) noted that environmental sanitation ‘comprises the proper collection, transportation, disposal and treatment of human excreta, solid waste and waste water, control of disease vectors and provision of washing facilities for personal and domestic hygiene.’ Despite its importance in human life, Mosleh and Sudhir (2005) observed that the provision of sanitation facilities and services is poor in developing countries.
The impacts of environmental deterioration are severe on developing countries thus hindering and undermining their development (Bello, 2007; Mmon, 2003). The living environment is well polluted owing to social misdemeanor of indiscriminate littering, improper domestic wastewater discharge, and poor sewage disposal. These behaviours promote unsanitary living conditions which result in the breeding of communicable diseases (Adimekwe, 2013; WHO and UNICEF 2008; IRC, 2006).
Sanitation is essential for human health, generates economic benefits and contributes to dignity and socio-economic development. In fact, the type of access and quality of water supply, as well as quality of sanitation facilities available to households or communities determine their quality of life. Unfortunately, in Nigeria many still live in poor sanitary conditions and do not maintain proper standards of hygiene. Invariably, better sanitation and improved safe water supply will lead to reduction of diseases, human suffering and enhance productive capacities in addition to reduction in health care cost.
Poor environmental sanitation practices exhibited in the disposal of solid waste, wastewater and excreta, cleaning of drainage including personal, household and community hygiene significantly contribute to infant and child mortality (Mmon and Mmon, 2011; UNICEF, 2007; Amadi and Iwuala, 2005; WHO, 2005; UNICEF, 1999; EHP, 1999). This is contrary to the notion of environmental sanitation which aims at developing and maintaining a clean, safe and pleasant physical environment in all human settlements (IRC, 2006; FRN, 2005).
Improved environmental condition affects positively a wide range of development indicators. Thus, environmental sanitation is a channel to improved quality of life of the individuals and a contributor to their social, economic and physical development (Olowoporoku, 2013).
Good sanitation contributes to low level of child mortality Azuh, D.E. (1994) . According to UNICEF, (2008), it was estimated that over 10 million productive days would be gained if access to both water and sanitation in Nigeria rose to 100 percent. It was situated that Government or NGO projects often run out of funding because of political or economic shifts, thereby jeopardizing the success of sanitation projects Olukanni, D. 0. (2013).
Sanitation Practice in Urban City.
Inappropriate dumping of domestic wastes is observed to have created serious environmental pollution in the study area. Solid waste and refuse including used nylon and plastic bottles are dumped indiscriminately on major streets, close to residential areas and on drainage channels that are meant for free flow of storm water. This is done with the erroneous impression that the runoff from storm will remove these wastes. On the contrary, these refuse find its way back to block the drainages. There is therefore the need for proper re-orientation of members of these communities as regards their attitudinal change on the best waste disposal practices.
Major contributing factors of Lagosians bad sanitation habits are
Increase in population.
Inadequate information on waste disposal facilities.
Non-availability of waste disposal facilities and poor policy execution.
TARGET SOCIAL SYSTEM
This work is targeted at the Agege community and its environs. Its target audience are both young and old people of Agege as it is clear that most people living in Agege lack proper disposal of refuse and do not have good sanitation habit.
Although, some parts of the community are cleaner with beautiful landscaping, but majority of streets remain dirty with stinking gutters which residents have refused to clear. Children are not being taught that it is wrong to litter the streets. They are not being taught how to dispose of refuse properly. They are not being taught not to throw candy wrappers into the gutters. In fact many parents encourage their children and wards to dump things in drainage. Most families, average or poor, throw rotten food and leftovers into gutters and this is why we have so many stinky areas in Agege and the question remains, what message are these people sending to foreign investors who pass through these areas to 'our center of excellence', Ikeja.
Agege is in metropolitan Lagos, an area covering 37% of the land area of Lagos State is home to over 85% of the state’s population. Agege Local Government was adopted as the study area due to the fact Agege is a densely populated and multi-ethnic Local Government of Lagos (Olukoju, 2006). Within Agege Local Government are Local Council Development Areas making Agege one of the biggest and most populated LGA in Lagos. This population is heterogeneous in nature in that it consists of diverse ethnic groups in Nigeria and outside Nigeria, cutting across different income levels.
A FLOODED ROAD FULL OF PLASTIC WASTE
The situation was, however, brought under control by the government through a number of initiatives, which included a material incentive to recycle plastic bottles, bags and tin cans. In this initiative, tricycles known as “Wecyclers” would go door to door to collect plastic waste.People in return earn points that could be turned into gifts. The Wecyclers then take the waste to factories that transform them to small plastic balls, which could be used in producing objects like basins and buckets. However, Lagosians are worried about the efficiency of this effort as the scenario is apparently getting worse every day. They are apprehensive over the resurgence of heaps of used plastic bottles on the roadsides and verges, particularly in Agege and other parts of the metropolis.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Over the years, the issue of whose responsibility to ensure proper waste management in our society has always generated argument. While some people believe it is the responsibility of the government, others believe it is the people living in the society. This paper will therefore enlighten the public on the importance that should be attached of cleanliness rather than who owns the responsibility to maintain hygiene.
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
1.This paper is aimed at making the residents of Agege to be conscious of the dangers involving bad sanitation habit.
2. It's also aimed to change their usual but unhygienic manner of disposing waste.
DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
The practice of DEVCOM can be traced to the various efforts undertaken in various parts of the world during the 1940s but the widespread application of the concept came about due to the problems that arose in the aftermath of the Second World War. The rise of the communication sciences in the 1950s saw recognition of the field as an academic discipline with Lerner, Schramm and Rogers as the earliest advocates.
Although the practice of development communication can be traced to the early 1940s, the term, “Development Communication” was first coined in 1972 by Nora Quebral, who defined it as “the art and science of human communication linked to a society’s planned transformation from a state of poverty to one of dynamic socio-economic growth that makes for a greater equity and the larger unfolding of individual potential.”
The effectiveness of DEVCOM depends on the type and kind of audience, image of development bureaucracy and the interpretations of media practitioners which affect the interpretations of communication and its persuasive efficacy.
Moemeka( 2000) defined DEVCOM as “the application of the processes of communication to the development process.” That is, the use of communication for development objectives. Therefore Residents must be educated and made to understand the impact good sanitation practice will have in their lives. In Lagos of the sixties and even seventies, there used to be sanitary inspectors, called Wolewole in local parlance, who checked the environment for signs of environmental degradation. Although some of them overdid it, their presence alone was enough to ensure cleanliness in the compound and surroundings. If the people refuse to be responsible and keep the environment clean, then laws may have to be enacted to whip them into line. There is need for more jingles of keeping your environment clean like we have in many radio stations especially during this rainy season.
STRATEGIES TO SOLVE THE ISSUE OF BAD SANITATION HABIT AMONG AGEGE RESIDENTS.
Health campaign programs that focus on various diseases cause by improper waster management such as cholera, diarrhea etc should be organised. It is not enough to desilt the canals, every effort must be made to clear the primary drainage system and make a habit of keeping it so. Efforts should be made to identify badly constructed gutters that do not flow and find ways to rectify the situation. Blocked drainage channels too should checked and cleared.
Sensitizing the people on some basic waste disposal habit they can carry out themselves without waiting on the government.
The media can serve as an advocate for the people to make the govt provide necessary material for them by continuous reportage of the issue.
The government at all levels should continually review and update existing legislation with respect to urban planning, building standards, infrastructure and environmental regulations in order to make them more realistic, attainable and compatible with local conditions.
Legislations should be enforced concerning indiscriminate dumping of refuse at road-sides and non-participation in the regular community sanitation exercise. Residents who fail to cooperate with the basic sanitation conditions should be sanctioned through a competent court of law.
CONCLUSION
There is need to tackle this issue and to do this it is up to Agege residents and the local government of Agege authorities to see that this act is fully eradicated. The concerned Lagos State government ministry also needs to realize that only a synergy between it and residents can change this sad situation.
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