MONDAY. JUNE 6. 1011
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HOMES&
PROPERTY
Ii !. Low-income
!housing: FG advised ~ on Mexican model
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55
• 'Involve engineers in policy formulation'
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Salvaging the environment from industrial waste ITH the vastness of industrial activities across the country, cases of polluting waste ge neration have continued to rise . The use of non-renewable resources such as fuel, coal , and minerals has not helped matters e ither as the level of environmental pollution has continued to go up. is Industrial was te produced from the activities of industrial .o rganisations like factories, mills and mines. Industrial waste generation has existed since the outset of the industrial revolution . Industrial waste be generation can not completely avoided, but e nvironmental experts say their management is critical to the safety of the larger
W
enviro nment.
Toxic,chemical, industrial solid a nd municipal solid wastes
are
variants
further degradation of the environment," Shabi noted . In facilitating compliance with environmental standards by industries, environmental experts have called for their organisation into consultative groups where the strategies to meet the requirements will be discussed and the burden 0(. cost will be reduced by sharing. The Director-General , Environmental National Standard$ a nd Regulations Enforcement Agency, Dr. Ngeri Benebo. while speaking on 24~ new reg ulations o n the enviro nment, said the mandate of the age ncy to ensure a I cleaner and healthier environmen t for Nigerians should not be compromised in any way. The regul ~tions include the National Environmental (Wetlands , River Banks and Lake Shores) Regulation , Nationa l Environmental (Watershed , Mountainous, Hilly and Catchme nts Areas) Regulation, National Environmental (Sanitatio n and Wastes Control ) Regulation and Natio nal Environmental (Permitting and Licen s~ing System) National Regula tion, Environmental (Noise Standards and Control) Regulation and National Environmental (Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals , Soap and Detergent Manufacturing Industries) Regu lation . Others are, the National Environmental (Base Metals, Iron and Steel Manufacturing/Recycling Ind~stries Sector) Regulation , National Environmental (Coastal and Marine Area Protection) Regulation, Nationa l Environmental (ElectricaVElectronic Sector) Regulation , Natio nal Environmental (Soil Erosio n and Flood Control) Regulation, National Environmen tal (Surface and Ground Water Quality Control) Regulation and National Environmental Broadcast (Standards for Telecommunicatio ns and Facilities) Regulation . Compliance with environme ntal codes, the NESREA boss maintained, would ensure that the national development agenda was not at variance with the carrying capacity of the fragile environment. In order to tackle the problem of uncontrolled discharge of harmful industrial effluents, she stressed the need for reference environmental laboratories, which would go a long way in tackling and mitigating the impact of effluent discharge within the affected communities. Air quality monitoring stations are also needed as a veritable component of air quality monitoring programmes. The need for collaborations and strategic partnerships with development partners and other international organ isations for capacity building and human resources development
The environment is changing fo r the wors t on account of increased human activities. Wastes being generated by manufacturing industries constitute huge environmental pollutants. Stakeholders, however, want concerted efforts to check the situation, STANLEY OPARA writes.
of
industrial waste, which can be in gaseous, liquid or solid forms. Indiscriminate d isposal and dumping of wastes have become a common practice in Nigerian cities.
Most of the waste dumps are located close to residential areas, markets, farms , roadsides and creeks. Industrial wastes are ge nerated from activities such as the production of chemicals, pesticides, paints, grease, inorganic materials and oil sludge , among others . Some experts maintai n that there must be penalties to be imposed on polluters to e nsure that violating conditions are corrected in a tim ely manner and manufacturing concerns
properly treat industrial discharges. The Federal Government recently developed 24 new regulations as part of its renewed efforts to light environmental pollution across the country, while also developing a set of strategic action plans for effective environmental compliance, monitoring and enforcement.
At a recent workshop for small , med ium and large scale industries on pollution control, the Lagos State Environmental Prote~tion Agency said there was the need for regulatory authorities to bring together industrialists so as to educate them on the environme ntal requirements of their activities.
This, the agency said , would keep operations running for such industries, while also promoting compliance with environm ental codes.
According to the General Manager, LASEPA, Mr. Adebola Shabi, reg ulators of the environment must re main focused in the course of enforcing industrial environmental
standards and must also no t relent in offering assistance to industries in their efforts to meet the given discharge standards. Some of the environmental challenges posed by industries , he explained, included discharge of untreated or partially treated efflue nt into public drains; air, noise , water and soil pollution; improper social waste management as well as improper spent oil management. Shabi said all industrial and manufacturing activities must be well regulated with a view to assisting industries in the management of pollution problems arising from their activities.
To get the desired result, he said the regulators must also serve in advisory capacity to helping the industries to operate in a sustainable manner. With this, he said the LASEPA and industries operating in the state must be partners in ensuring that the development of the environment was stable. "For instance , our policy thrust revolves around environmental .renewal and deve lopment initiative , aimed at taking full inventory of the state's natural resources, assessing the level of environmental damage as well as evolving and implementing additional measures to halt
"All industrial and manufacturing activities must be well regulated with a view to assIsting industries in the management of pollution problems arising from their activities" ,
in the area of environmental compliance. monitoring and
enforcement, she pOinted out, was crucial for a ho listic approa~h to environmental control attempts. "This is important for the promotion of environmental governance, which is key to our national development," she said.