Owerri West local government has extended its refuse policy to its autonomous community level. As at Saturday last week, Ihiagwa, Nekede and Irete have benefited from the refuse scheme.
Trumpeta investigation revealed that the carting away of garbage was contracted out to a private company, CITY BRIGHT NVIRONMENTAL SERVICES which moves about with an improvised refuse van shopping for garbage at residential buildings.
The beneficiaries of the service pay according to the volume of the garbage generated and may be issued with receipts At Umuelee, Irete, those who paid less than N50 for their refuse were not given receipts.
Some of the residents wondered why they must pay on the spot for the service while others felt that the money paid is on the high side and ought to be reviewed by the Owerri West Sole Administrator, SOLAD.
They also called on the SOLAD to pay a working visit to the Catering School by ICC Block, Industry feeder road along Owerri/Onitsha Road close to Umuelele /Orogwe boundary to empathize with the residents and feel the anguish and trauma they pass through each day especially when it rains.
According to them, the SOLAD will be convinced that the road project is beyond community intervention as the people, had been maintaining the road within the past 20 years.
It was further learnt that unless the local government sensitizes the state government about the deplorable state of the road and remedial action taken immediately, the residents will be cut off from the rest of the state this rainy season, Even the LG empowered environmental refuse collection will equally be affected, as its services in Umuelele will be disrupted.
