Lagos Shuts Olusosun Dumpsite Over Fire Disaster
Piqued by the fire disaster that destroyed about ten vehicles at Olusosun dumpsite, Ojota, Lagos, the state government Thursday shut the dumpsite, ordering operators to make use of other landfill and dumpsite in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, who disclosed the closure in an interview with journalists in Lagos, urged Lagosians not to panic over the smoke billowing from the dumpsite, saying, the situation is under control.
Durosinmi-Etti said, “Subsequently, the Olusosun dumpsite has been closed down for the main time, while operators are urged to make use of Epe Landfill and other dumpsites in Lagos State.”
He explained that the fire which emitted thick smokes from the Olososun dumpsite was a natural outcome of trapped gasses from the waste.
The commissioner argued that the escaping gas was responsible for the combustion, describing it as an act that occurs occasionally at the site.
He argued that waste in dumpsites naturally emit certain gasses that are occasionally released to cause combustion such as the one witnessed in Olososun dumpsite on Wednesday.
Durosinmi-Etti said that the state government had responded swiftly to the situation by activating its emergency response units including Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Lagos State Fire Service with support from Julius Berger to put out the fire.
He noted that the existing dumpsites at Olusosun in Ojota, Solous Igando and Ewu Elepe were not sustainable and had mapped out plans for their phased closure, while it had concessioned the construction of Sanitary landfill in Epe and Transfer Loading Stations in different parts of the State.
According to him, government has also identified other landfills for construction in Ikorodu and Badagry as integral part of the Infrastructure development component of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative which is the sustainable model in Solid Waste Management.
Durosinmi-Etti stressed that the Administration of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos State had been proactive enough by identifying the gaps in the waste management system in the state and envisioning the Cleaner Lagos Initiative as the sustainable system of managing our waste as well as passing the Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017.
