HAZARDS OF REFUSE DUMPING
The popular axiom that “health is wealth” is indeed true as only healthy people can gather wealth and enjoy it. This is the more reason why issues concerning our health must not be treated with levity. Serious attention must be given to our environment as indiscriminate dumping of refuse could pose a great threat to human health. When refuse are dumped indiscriminately whether in the market square, homes, schools, streets, drainages and other public places, such places could serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes (which causes malaria). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are over 300 million new cases of malaria every year with approximately two to three million deaths resulting from the disease.
Refuse dumped on drainages block waterways thereby leading to flooding when it rains. The water diverts some of the garbage to our homes and streets, making the environment dirty and which can endanger lives.
Refuse dumped around wells, streams, rivers and other sources of water could be hazardous to both human and animals. This is because it contaminates the water which can cause cholera in human and it serves as a threat to aquatic animals. Aadagbada et al in the Pan African Medical journal (August 2015) reports that in the last quarter of 2009, it was speculated that more than 260 people died of cholera in four northern states with over 96 people in Maiduguri, Biu, Gwoza, Dikwa and Jeer council areas of Bauchi State. This was due to contaminated hand –dug- wells and ponds which serve as sources of drinking water.
More so, with the increase in the global population and the rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of waste being generated daily by each household and when it is not properly disposed, it causes serious air, water and land pollution. Normally, it is the wet waste that decomposes and releases bad odour. In most cases, children are more vulnerable to these pollutants.
However, despite the adverse consequences of indiscriminate refuse dumping on human health, many still choose to give excuses to justify their actions. Some say that they do not have enough space for proper disposal while others complain that the recommended places for refuse dump is far away from where they live.
Sabo Achon Danjuma, Department of Mass Communication, Taraba State University, Jalingo