The Plateau section of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is concerned that uncleared garbage heaps on key avenues in Jos-Bukuru represent a hazard to public health.
Dr Bapiga’an Audu, the branch Chairman, told the News Men in Jos on Thursday.
According to Audu, the garbage functioned as a breeding ground for vectors and rats that spread illnesses to humans.
“These garbage heaps serve as a home for vectors like houseflies, mosquitoes, and rodents like rats, which transmit illnesses like gastrointestinal ailments, malaria, and Lassa fever to humans,” he explained.
According to him, the trash mounds pollute the subsurface water as well as the numerous water bodies in the Jos-Bukuru city.
He also regretted that the state ranked first among states in terms of open defecation, and that the issue of uncleared garbage will lead to further endemic disease outbreaks.
The chairman urged the government to prioritize the health of its residents by clearing the rubbish.
He suggested that the state government turn the garbage to biofuel and recycle what couldn’t be converted.
Audu stated that the measure will keep the city clean, hence creating jobs for the young and increasing the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.
Mr Gabriel Bako, General Manager of the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) in charge of garbage management, blamed the rubbish mounds on the breakdown of the trucks employed in waste evacuation.
He stated that some of the cars had been repaired and that rubbish removal had commenced.