A Group of Scavengers scooping manure from a sewage dump site during a Media Tour by environmental Journalists organized by an NGO Bridge That Gap Initiative Kaduna
Scavengers in Kaduna Transform Sewage Dump into Manure Business Venture and Self Empowerment.
A major designated sewage dump site in the outskirt of Kaduna has been converted to a major business venture where scavengers generate manure using the decomposed sewage for Agricultural use and source of livelihood.
Journalists at the instance of Bridge That Gap Initiative visited Katanga Community in Chikun Local Government Area Kaduna state where this initiative has been ingoing and discovered that about 150 Scavengers have engaged themselves for the economic empowerment in the dump site.
Several Scavengers are trooping to Katanga sewage dump site which is the major site approved by the state authority for waste disposal towards ensuring environmental cleanliness.
About 150 scavengers have now engaged themselves in this gainful venture where a leadership structure has been established for orderliness.
Mallam Zubairu is the leader, he told the team of journalists and other concerned civil society in attendance that they first discovered the profitable business more than 3 years ago when bandits pursued them from their farms and were struggling for survival.
He said they generates not less than N8,000 par truck load of the manure and pay N1000 as tax to the local authority.
Mallam Suleiman Kawosu is another Scavenger who travels more than 70 Kilometers from Zaria to the site.
He said he sells a truck load of the manure for not less than N10,000 to feed and support his family of 9 children and he has been enjoying the business.
However an environmentalist and convener of the tour to the sites Gloria Kasang Bulus who also doubles as Team Lead for Extension Rebellion said although there are economic and environmental advantages to those activities but she observed that health measures were not considered by the scavengers while some parts of the sewage were being burnt against environmental precautions.
Meanwhile the team later moved to Tudun Illu in Kaduna North Local Government were a large deposits of illegal waste dump site is located just in the middle of residential areas closed to the Central Market within the state capital.
Speaking to the team, a chief in the area Alhaji Bala Illu complaint that the unapproved refused dump site have existed for several years and recently caused a fire incident at a nearby Primary School.
He therefore urged the government to take drastic action by clearing the site and stop perpetrators from the inappropriate practice.
Alhaji Shehu Usman corroborated what the chief had earlier said but added that a number of people in the area have taken ill due to the environmental hazards cause by the refuse dump.
Climate experts such as Gloria Kasang Bulus and Zinta Istifanus lamented the existance of Refuse dump in the midst of residential areas inside the heart of the state.
The Tour to Sewage Dump Sites by Journalists and Environmentalists was first of it’s kind for them to get first hand information on Environmental and Climate Change issues for them to keep records and also report to those in authority towards strict adherence to global environmental best practices.
Cov/Shindong Bala
