Bleeding manholes: AEPB rues theft of lids

The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has attributed the rising cases of bleeding manholes to the spate of manhole lid theft and irresponsible waste disposal practice.

In ridding the territory of this menace, the Acting Director of AEPB, Mrs. Omolola Olanipekun, has appealed to residents to collaborate with government to ensure proper protection of various infrastructure put in place for their collective wellbeing.

The director made this known on the side-lines of a routine man hole de-silting exercise by the board’s Liquid Waste Management (LWM) department in Utako and some other areas in the territory.

The Head of the LWM department, Engr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, said the ever increasing incidences of manhole cover thefts by unscrupulous persons, the irresponsible waste disposal practice were sheer acts of mischief.

The manholes, according to a statement by the board’s spokesman, Muktar Ibrahim, contained items such as scrap metals, plastics and different types of junk.

Mrs. Olanipekun solicited the co-operation of security agencies to help apprehend sewer infrastructure thieves, hawkers and beggars whose activities combined to make the Federal Capital City a city of law breakers and environmental nuisance.

She assured residents of the board’s commitment to instituting a more pervasive and persistent publicity campaign that would help to carry everyone aboard the keep FCT Clean Campaign.