NESREA’s role in industrial waste, environmental hazards

Industrialisation has engendered mixed blessings to humankind. One of the negative sides of industrialisation has been pollution of the environment with telling health hazards to many nations. HELEN OJI examines regulations meant to guide industrial operations. 

As environmental issues continue to dominate our country and tug at our consciences and indeed alert our consciousness it is clear that the physical, chemical and the biological integrity of our planet is being compromised daily.

The destructive processes are not only continuous but are increasing both in quantum and in rate. While some of the impacts such as loss of biodiversity might be gradual, there are hosts of communities around the world today that are being consumed by coastal and gully erosion, sea incursion, bush fires etc. with lives and billions of dollars’ worth of properties being lost.

In Nigeria, some environmentalists have claimed that we have done more in polluting the environment over the years, that many have contributed to the contamination of the environment than curb it. Not a few Nigerians, they say, have inadvertently generated avoidable health and sanitation problems through irresponsible industrial and human waste disposal.

Though we are signatory to many international conventions, our approach to environmental sanitation issues and attitude to industrial waste disposal have remain a pain in the neck.
Nonetheless, concerted efforts are required to collectively address the problems of environmental hazards brought about by careless disposal of both human and industrial wastes.
The Director General of National Environment Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Lawrence .C. Anukam said Nigeria’s poor attitude to environmental health is not for want of laws.

“There are 34 regulations and these regulations address various sectors which are known as brown and green environment. The brown environment is the industry, while the green environment is the agriculture, these regulations are targeted at various sectors and we are making progress.
“Since the inception of the agency in 2007, we have brought together the individual sectors and we were able to put together collaborative activities of the telecommunication sector.

“Every sector of the industry has a role to play in the environment: to protect the environment. There must be laws or regulations to guide the activities of the sectors.
“The industry sector has done well but they need to do more for the industry to grow and benefit both humans and the environment. We do what we call the permit licence system which enables the industry to go through the permit form.

“The whole concept of sustainable consumption and how we consume all relates to sustainable environment. When we pollute our water, we will have a lot of diseases but if we can manage the environment very well then we will grow more in terms of environment and ecological system.”
Industries in the country fill this form every year and by so doing they promise to abide by and conform to the regulations on operational activities in line with environmental standards.

Usually, we assess them, checkmate them in order to know the kind of materials they are using in their daily operations and how and what effect it could have on the environment if not properly disposed of. We are concern about the level of industrial waste in the atmosphere as well.
“Beside that we have what we call compliance monetary programme in our 24 field offices and zonal offices and our officials go to the industries periodically to monitor their activities conform to standards,” he explained.

According to Anukam, there are so many industries in the country, so they are grouped according to their sectors for easy assessment and evaluation on compliance. “Some of the industries are complying, but others do not. Those that are not complying are sanctioned and some are even taken to court for prosecution. Some of the industries are shutdown due to lack of compliance with the guidelines for the operation of their particular industry.

On the industries that NESREA have their data and record, “the agency ensures that its offices carry out environmental audit report over a period of two years. “We conduct another circle of assessment, if there are complaints. So, we also rely on public complaints from individuals and the community which we follow through whether the pollution of environment is through poor disposal of waste, pollution of water through irresponsible dumping of refuse or air pollution.

The role of NESREA in the community is to create awareness, letting people know the implication of what they do to the environment and also be aware of environmental implication of their actions.
Most of communities get some chemicals for their local farming and are hardly aware of the adverse effect of the chemicals they are using for farming. Sadly, a good lot of these chemicals cause health hazard to the people and their agricultural production.

According to Anukam, awareness creation for communities is usually done through television and the radio. “We also do reach out programmes through our field zonal offices using the state government. The idea is to go to markets squares, traditional rulers and tell them what is supposed to be done right.

“We have done quite well but we still think there is need to do more than we have presently done. We think we should understand their religious beliefs most of which say ‘cleanliness is nearest to Godliness’ whatever the belief, it is clear that you keep your environment clean.
“It is necessary to do that and the way we communicate depends on how the orientation of the people is shaped. Also the community leader has a major role to play in supporting the government. In fact, everybody is supposed to be responsible to the waste they generate.

That is why we recently developed a programme Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to make the industry to be responsible for the waste they generate.
The air we breathe including the food, shelter all have to do with environment and if we don’t get it right then we will have problems and the health implication of environment is a risk to our country. We have to keep our environment clean, to have a healthy environment.

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