UNICAL Residents Raise Alarm Over Abandonment of Refuse and Impending Epidemic

By Stanley Uchegbu

The residents of University of Calabar (UNICAL) hostel, Goldie street axis and shop owners have on Tuesday called on the Cross River state government to prevail on the stench emanating from refuse being dumped at the Goldie market.

The residents who feared they might soon contact airborne disease due to their long exposure to heap of refuse blamed their predicament on the management of the Cross River State Environmental Protection Agency, whom they accused of insensitivity and dereliction of duty.

The areas which have become impassable because of the offensive odour emanating from the refuse, are said to be abandoned by the Agency who seems to have no plans to evacuate the refuse which is life threatening to the residents.

A UNICAL security man who works at the small gate of the campus just opposite the Dump site who spoke under the condition of anonymity explained that for a long time the odour from the refuse has caused them a lot of inconveniences and expressed the fear that the outbreak of epidemic was imminent if the situation was not checked.

For food vendors and market sellers at the market “the stench from the site has recently affected our business as most of our customers have refused to patronise us due to the development”, a shop owner who gave his name as Philip said.

According to John Nsikak who lives at Goldie street axis, “some residents of the street took advantage of the situation to empty waste at odd hours of the night”. This is bad.

He said odour was so bad that even if you lock yourself inside your room, “you were not safe”, he complained.

For shop owners around the street the story was the same as investigations showed that business has been low due to the stench from the refuse dump.

“Since this thing started, many students don’t come here again to buy food especially the those who stays off campus”, lamented Mrs. Jane Umoh, a food vendor.

While wondering when dumping of refuse would stop at that site, she urged the relevant government agency to do something about it.

A shop owner who did not give his name for fear of being victimized described their situation as helpless which he said they have committed into the hands of God.

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