The Operation Clean Healthy Anambra (OCHA Brigade) has resumed duties at Upper Iweka in Onitsha and its environs after a short break.
Barely one week, men of the OCHA Brigade have been conspicuously seen working hard to recover Upper Iweka and its environs once again from incessant open defecation, indiscriminate urinating in unauthorized places and other aspects of environmental pollution.
Its now obvious to everyone that OCHA Brigade as an agency enforcing environmental law in Anambra State is actually playing a vital role in keeping the environment clean.
Their absence from duty at Upper Iweka few weeks ago turned the area to a dumping ground and defecation arena of human waste products.
Those who were criticising and labelling the agency all sorts of names have began to pour accolades to Governor Charles Soludo and Managing Director (MD) of OCHA Brigade, Chief Celestine Anere for the welcome back.
However, when newsmen visited Upper Iweka, various environmental offenders ranging from urinating at unauthorized places, open defecation and dumping of wastes inside gutters were engaged by men of the OCHA Brigade in community service.
The offenders were engaged to cut grasses at Upper Iweka Government reserved garden.
One of the shop owners at the area said: ” I never knew the importance of these boys until they stopped work at Upper Iweka few weeks ago.
“I have a shop here but the type of mess I saw these few weeks was terrible. I observe that many people don’t have toilet facilities where they live. So, let OCHA Brigade continue their work, “Pastor Ken Ozomere said.
“Please, tell OCHA Brigade coordinator or whoever that is in charge of OCHA Brigade to continue their duty. We nearly died here due to odour. Let there be discipline in Anambra State. Upper Iweka is a center of Onitsha, therefore, it should not be messed up, “one Emma Okalie added.
” Actually, all of us are guilty of environmental pollution because we are street traders but indiscriminate urination and defecation is too much here. It doesn’t allow us to do our business. We don’t breathe fresh air any longer. But, within this week the agency resumed duties, it has reduced, “Mrs Flora Ejie also added.
Joe Fashion suggested that the defaulters be quarantined for some days and to pay penalty so that they would not try it again.
He said that people who were causing the environmental abuse at Upper Iweka were drug addicts, those who do not have a place to live, adding that they use Upper Iweka as their home.
” Thank you Mr Governor for returning OCHA Brigade to duties at Upper Iweka. We can now breath fresh air. Let’s encourage OCHA Brigade. They are working, “Ikejika Kalu noted.
Other motorists and road users favoured the idea that environmental polluters should be continually engaged in cutting grasses at the Government garden at Upper Iweka so that they would be useful to Government in two ways, paying penalty and cutting grasses.
