ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SANITATION IN RIVERS STATE: THE PAST/ THE PRESENT/ THE FUTURE

THE PAST

• The Rivers State Sanitation Authority established as an autonomous Govt Parastatal in 1983 to manage municipal waste, public health, traffic and urban developmental challenges in Rivers State
• Direct Staff Strength of about 450 civil servants most of whom were employed between 1979 and 1986
• Ad hoc staff of about 200 comprising gardeners, sweepers, control room staff and health officers
• Indirectly employs over 3000 personnel through over 100 service providers

THE AUTHORITY

• Records available revealed that RSESA recorded initial success in handling its responsibilities
• Contributed to the garden city image of the city in the 1980/1990s
• With Democratisation came new Government structure which relegated RSESA to the background leading to reduction of funding, poor management and increased politicisation of the functions of the Authority

LEADING TO

• Little or no investment in the provision of waste handling equipment and infrastructure
• Poor management of waste by the Authority against the backdrop of increasing urban population
• Poor service delivery by politically exposed contractors who regarded waste contract as political patronage to empower the ‘boys’.
• Unhealthy work environment due to endemic management/workers conflict
• Misdirected focus on illegalities by the Authority

OUTCOME

• Port Harcourt and other urban areas increasingly became filthy as waste competed for public space with normal business and social activities.
• The State capital attained an unenviable status of a garbage city which undermined government’s developmental efforts as visitors could not appreciate developmental strides because they were enveloped in filth
• Government efforts to attract investments and tourists suffered

FREEZING THE PAST: TAKING CONTROL

• An end to illegalities: revenue, task forces, buckets, stickers etc.
• Refocus on core responsibility: managing people, managing waste
• Established authority
• Opened up the system to enhance competitiveness and drive efficiency
• Capacity upgrade from 28 compactors to 110 in two months
• Training of operations staff/24hrs control room
• Stakeholders involvement
• Introducing collaborative rather than blame culture

ACTIONS

• Engaged ad hoc staff for grass cutting
• Increased street sweeping
• Removal of scraps from major roads including Ikokwu spare parts market
• Assumed direct management of Airport Road
• Decentralisation, delegation and Increase in supervisory capacity
• Spelt out performance parameters for service providers
• Increased interface with workers of the authority
• Acquisition of disposal facilities
• New operational guidelines incorporating proactive waste handling procedure

THE PRESENT

• Improved service delivery: The core of the city is cleaner and service delivery to other areas optimised
• 300% improvement in waste handling capacity
• Well motivated workforce arising from openness of management and employee involvement
• Increasing waste consciousness; through stakeholders engagement

IT IS STILL A LONG WAY

• About 26,000 tonnes of waste is collected from households and industrial areas daily by the authority
• This amounts to about 65% of waste generated in Port Harcourt and environs daily
• The rest ends up on the streets, in drains, the water ways or used to reclaim land for individuals
• 90% of sewage generated in the state are disposed illegally, the rest are disposed in legal but questionable manner

THE ISSUES

• Do stakeholders understand the essence of Waste Management and Sanitation?
• That Sanitation is connected to health and well being?
• That Diarrhoea (often a result of poor hygiene) kills more Children in Nigeria annually than Malaria, HIV and Tuberculosis put together
• That Malaria, Cholera, typhoid and most viral infections emanate from poor sanitary conditions
• That improvement in sanitary habits can reduce the leg counts in hospitals and reduce government investment in healthcare
• That average life expectancy can be increased through improved sanitary condition

THE ISSUES

• *That proper management of waste can reduce water pollution and aid access to safer sources of portable water
• *That proper sweeping of roads and cleaning of drains help in prolonging the lifespan of roads
• * That overgrown bushes provide cover for criminals whereas cutting them eliminates the risk
• * That if waste is managed as business it could serve as a major source of wealth creation and empowerment
• * That investments by the State to develop tourism will be wasted if the waste handling situation does not improve
• * That beside being a KPI of good governance, half of the MDG goals are linked to sanitation

THE FUTURE

OUR PURPOSE

To enhance the health, well-being and  average life-expectancy of  people who live in Rivers State through improved sanitary habits, cleaner environment, fresher waters, lower carbon emission and sustainable waste management.

OUR VISION

To transform Rivers State into a cleaner and greener state characterized by clean and greener cities, fresh waters and low carbon footprints.

OUR STRATEGY

• Enhance stakeholder buy-in to facilitate the adoption of new waste management culture through education, enlightenment and involvement
• Efficient monitoring of waste generators and enforcement of waste management law
• Efficient service delivery by service providers
• Clear definition of service delivery parameters and key performance indicators
• Enhance the waste management value-chain for wealth/job creation and empowerment
• Transparent management practices to encourage private sector investment
• 90 Days milestone
• Clearly defined performance indicators
• Stakeholder evaluation and feedback

Effective Communication

• Designed to influence the perception of citizens with non-coercive but compelling narratives that promote responsible waste management.
• Geared towards working with citizens in improving the waste disposal system
• To improve and promote communication with citizens through a robust framework that supports a feedback/response system
• To establish & manage a fluid & symbiotic communication framework within the agency.

VALUES

• A recognition that people are our core resource.
• A culture of collaborative relationship
• Constant engagement with Stakeholders
• Strict adherence to management process
• Satisfying the customer

SUCCESS INDICATORS

• A waste bagging culture
• Binning of waste
• Communal enforcement of waste management practices and laws
• Clean drains/Well maintained public lawns
• Proper effluent/sewage discharge
• Provision of sustainable waste disposal infrastructure
• Waste reduction through recycling

CONCLUSION

• The first impression visitors get of any city is its cleanliness or otherwise as such clean environment adds values to all aspects of Government activities
•  Improved sanitary condition leads to better health and living standard and reduces government investment in healthcare
• Provision of basic waste management infrastructure will encourage private sector participation
• Waste management is a low hanging fruit requiring little investment but yielding enormous dividends
• Waste management is a collective responsibility. All stakeholders must take ownership

CAN RIVERS STATE BE CLEAN? YES!

THROUGH COLLABORATION AND SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT