The Imo State Government has commenced a massive cleanup of drainages in Owerri and its environs to ensure the free flow of flood waters in preparation for the oncoming rainy season.
The Director of Operations, Imo State Waste Management Company, ISWAMAC, Mr Ugochukwu Aghazie, said this while addressing newsmen during an ongoing cleanup exercise at Douglas Road, Owerri, on Monday.
Aghazie said that the exercise was aimed at improving environmental cleanliness to reduce pollution and disease spread as well as enhance the looks of the capital city ahead of the 2024 rainy season.
He said that traders selling their wares along the roads will be relocated to the markets to free up the roads and make them easier to clean.
He added that ISWAMAC will introduce the use of waste bins for the disposal of decomposable and non-decomposable refuse alike to end littering in the environment.
He further said that mobile toilets will be installed in strategic locations to end open defecation and sanitise the streets.
According to him, a monitoring team will be set up to ensure total compliance with revised sanitation regulations and justify the efforts of the government.
“We want to achieve absolute cleanliness in Douglas and other streets of Owerri, and we have started by cleaning up the drainages. We will recapture Owerri,” he said.
