ENVIRONOMICS
-ENVIRONOMICS-
SEWAGE AND WASTEWATER HANDLING
Current Practice in Nigeria and The Best Way Forward
Peter Aniediabasi John
Senior Environmental Consultant
Port Harcourt – Nigeria
peanijo@yahoo.com
ecolegal.ng@gmail.com
+234-803-9693897
Ecolegal Services Nigeria Limited
2008.
In line with existing public health and public health related
policies in Nigeria, to which Nigeria Is a signatory or a sole
custodian, it is expected that all toxic and hazardous materials
should be handled in a manner such that it does not cause
public health problems. It is also understood that the
environment, which is a final receptacle for all materials
should be kept in a form not to cause public health problems.
Several recommendations on the management of sewage and
wastewater in Nigeria and even most part of Africa are not
properly implemented and adhered to, possibly due to
negligence or difficulties of enduring the pungent smell and all
other factors related to sewage and wastewater including
culture and belief.
The need to establish a functional and operational re-cycling
facility in our communities is a factor that requires urgent
attention, most especially
in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals – 7, which emphasises on Environmental
Sustainability, Goal – 4 and 5, which emphasises on Health
and Well-being and finally Goal – 6, which emphasises on
Disease Combat and Control, mostly water borne pathogens
and parasites. It can also be traced in some way to Goal – 1,
which emphasises on Poverty Eradication.
In recent technology, sludge from similar facility is widely used
as organic manure. Large scale extraction of sludge from
wastewater and sewage to useful substances can result in the
production of economically useful material, which can be used
for
large scale crop and livestock management. The
encouragement of small scale industries, to source raw
materials from such facility is a major break through and a
start