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| Dr. Emejuru, (first from left) at the Waste processing plant |
Some of
the recycled waste from the sewage plant would be used for fertilizer and
methane gas for agriculture and for other domestic uses.
Dr. Ogu Emejuru, Special Assistant
to the Governor on Sewage Management said that the plant would provide job
opportunities starting with the host community, Oroworukwu.
“About four years ago, the governor
had a vision to have a sewage plant because of the issues of dumping sewage in
the creeks and in gutters. You know when sewage is dumped indiscriminately;
the issue will bring about malaria, diseases and typhoid. So the Governor had
the vision that we should have a sewage plant where sewage will be dumped and
processed into re-useable materials like fertilizer, methane gas etc”, Emejuru
said. Click on read more below to continue reading...
On the issue of employment, he said,
“We will employ a lot of citizens here from Eagle Island. The actual
employment now will be for engineers: mechanical, electrical, waste management
engineers. That is when we commission. We are in that
process now of trying to work with them to see how we can bring
them. Even students from universities, they have come here to see
how they can understudy the process of sewage treatment and deriving benefits
from sewage,” he added.
He also mentioned that waste from
water container plastics and sachet water that is readily available from waste
bins and by the road sides would be recycled to produce another water container
plastics or for other plastics that ranges from chairs, plates, buckets and any
other thing that could be gotten from plastic.
Emejuru also said that the waste
treatment and processing plant will process about 1,000 cubic metre of sewage
per day or 20 truckloads of sewage daily. He disclosed that discussions were
already going on with truck owners that would be providing them with the waste
materials for recycling.
“We are talking now with sewage
contractors. We have met with them. We have registered
all the sewage contractors. They are very cooperative with
us. They are working with us. What we need now, we need sewage,
we need the waste food, we need them to come here, so we will be talking to
them. So as we get more and more of business, we employ more and
more," he declared.
According to Emejuru, the waste
plant would bring about a cleaner environment and put a check on health
challenges that arises from indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
He noted also that the plant when
fully operational would increase the quantity of fertilizer or gas produced
that would ultimately boost food production in the state.
“The issue of scarcity or high price
of food items would improve because farmers would no longer pay huge amount of
money for fertilizers. They would now be able to get it from the produce of
this plant. This, I believe would to a great extent improve the agricultural
state of Rivers State,” he finished.
In another development, Rivers
State Primary Health Care Management Board said it has gotten approval to
employ 100 new medical doctors.
The
State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tamunoiyoriari Parker, stated this while
speaking at the 23rd review meeting of free medical care programme in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State.
Parker
said that the initiative was to ensure that all
residents in the State have access to free and quality health care. He stated that the employment of more doctors would
help solve issues of unavailability of Doctors at hospitals.
Parker
said he regretted that the rural dwellers in the state have not been able to
benefit from the programme because of poor sensitisation and mobilization, but
that that was being looked into.
Reacting,
Permanent Secretary of Free Medical Care Programme, Dr. Nnesochi Offor, said that
the review meeting which would be happening from time to time would afford them
the opportunity to identify ways of improving on the programme.
Dr.
Offor said that the programme which was introduced 13 years ago in the State
has evolved to the point whereall residents in the State enjoy free medical
care.
She
explained that 130 health facilities were already participating in the
programme, while 8 private health facilities have a memoranda of understanding
with the government to provide free medical care during crises.
Dr.
Offor said the newly built Kelsey Harrison Hospital and the Dental
Maxillo-facial Hospital would also provide free Medical Care in the near
future.
Meanwhile, Applications
had been called for young qualified doctors to apply for the positions.
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