By Sodiq Ojuroungbe

For residents of Idi-Araba community in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State, clean air and healthy environment have become elusive.

Findings by PUNCH Healthwise showed that the densely populated community is plagued by malaria and typhoid, with almost everyone suffering from these killer diseases due to the polluted environment.

The open canal running through the neighbourhood has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the stench of the canal, which has been turned into a dumpsite by some residents, daily pollutes the environment.

It was gathered that due to poor sanitation and lack of access to safe water that characterised the community for many years now, more than a handful residents of the area amidst poverty are daily confronted with one type of illness or the other with women and children badly affected.

The situation is made worse through the presence of rodents, who invade homes, shops and all corners of the area.

Some residents, who have fallen ill as a result of the development, told our correspondent that they can longer afford the cost of treatment.

The residents said the offensive smell not only takes a toll on their health but also on their livelihoods as they are not regular at their places of work due to ill health.

The World Health Organisation says typhoid fever is common in places with poor sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water.

Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene among food handlers and typhoid vaccination are all effective in preventing typhoid fever, according to WHO.

Our correspondent observed that the canal runs through the community and has become a dumping ground with plastic and garbage floating clogged to it.

As the pile of garbage swells by the day, the situation becomes more dire with residents worried that the conversion of the Idi Araba canal to an illegal dump site may lead to widespread occurrence of infectious diseases across the community.

The drainage in the area was clogged with tonnes of waste, while the drainage channels coming from different parts of Mushin and linked to the Idi-Araba canal were always filled with debris and plastic.

One resident, Ayodele Oluwafemi, told PUNCH Healthwise that most of them encounter malaria, typhoid and diarrhea due to the dirty and polluted environment.

Oluwafemi said, “A lot of people are falling sick in our community. Hardly will you see someone from a household that has not fallen sick in the last two weeks.

“This happens because of the kind of food we eat. We get our food around the canal and most of the time it is infected because of the flies and other things that might have touched the food.”

The filthy environment

Going round the community, PUNCH Healthwise observed that Idi-Araba reeks of government neglect and utter disregard for healthy environmental practices by the residents.

Some of the affected streets including Bamishile, Ayinla, Ogunsanwo, Garba Musa, Abati, Adekunle, and Babalola, are filthy and littered with heaps of garbage.

Houses are built close to the drains in utter disregard for town planning rules, while indiscriminate dumping of refuse seems to be an entrenched practice.

During the visit, it was discovered that the canal, which acts as a secondary drainage system to ferry floodwater, had turned into a mountain of solid silt, waste, and vegetation.

A towering garbage mountain looms around the area, spewing putrid fumes and attracting pests. This growing pile of refuse is not only an eyesore, but also a ticking time bomb of health hazards for the residents.

https://punchng.com/lagos-community-turns-canal-to-dumpsite-battles-offensive-odour-health-hazards/?

Hehehe

Watch as they will start jubilating.

The dirtiest area in Lagos is cleaner than the cleanest area in Anambra

Hehehehe.

Na wa

Watch how they will drag Obi or d east to dis

dirty set of people to dey pay LAWMA to dispose dirt for dem hard dem dem turn Canal to dustbin...

Its really a pity

Poverty isn’t an excuse to be dirty. Watch them now. They’ll start asking the government to fix what they brought upon themselves.

This is not news. The cesspit of a city has no contestation.

Slums is everywhere, but the western media will make you believe that their territories is cleaner than yours. As developed as they are, you hardly see their Slums on the public platforms but does not mean it's not there.

We will get there when we restructure our country so that everyone can take care of their nooks and crannies to welcome development.

ok

I don't feel sorry for them,you lay your bed so lay on it.

I know that Igbos are responsible for this mess, they are doing exactly what their supreme leader told them to do, destroy Lagos by all means necessary, i still have the video.

Eko o ni baje ooo

Watch as they blame the government

This is the community they have LUTH one of the biggest teaching hospitals in Nigeria.

More money for the hospital.

accordadoga29:
Hehehe

Watch as they will start jubilating.

The dirtiest area in Lagos is cleaner than the cleanest area in Anambra

You left the content of the post just to display your early morning madness

Finally idi araba canal gets on the news. That place is an eyesore.

They better enjoy the pollution they caused themselves

Beautiful Lagos
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Very dirty City, I wonder how Lagosian have an erection in such toxic dirty noisy environment

The waterways (canal system) in Lagos is actually a goldmine waiting to be tapped. I cross at least 4 of them in my area in a month. Imagine my surprise when I looked up this area on Google Maps and I saw that they were all linked, even out of the area. That could be a viable means of transport if the water flow can be sustained.

While we as a community, have to an extent, battled the illegal dumping of refuse, the sale of lands around these canals, building along the canal path and even stoppage of flow of the canals have been a new menace. Hopefully, we get government eye and intervention in this soon.

accordadoga29:
Hehehe

Watch as they will start jubilating.

The dirtiest area in Lagos is cleaner than the cleanest area in Anambra

You really need help mentally and otherwise.

accordadoga29:
Hehehe

Watch as they will start jubilating.

The dirtiest area in Lagos is cleaner than the cleanest area in Anambra

why the guilty conscience? who are the "they" that will start jubilating?

This is not a function of failed govt, govt can only do so much, the problem bedeviling environmental sanitation is we the people of Lagos state, we are careless, reckless and negligent, not to mention stubborn too, we would cry govt this govt that but you as a lagosian what have you done personally to justify yourself and prove your environmental hygiene

accordadoga29:
Hehehe

Watch as they will start jubilating.

The dirtiest area in Lagos is cleaner than the cleanest area in Anambra

Seun lalasticlala nifpmod

This is caused by the people, not the government. People keep defiling rules and, if government take decisions now, that will affect many of them, they will tag government as bad.

Most people in Lagos are pigs and animals.

If you see how some of them open bum bum to poop in broad daylight, you'll marvel.

I wonder why the govt isn't making efforts to clamp down on those idiots defecating and painting everything with shit

accordadoga29:
Hehehe

Watch as they will start jubilating.

The dirtiest area in Lagos is cleaner than the cleanest area in Anambra

Guilty conscience.
Age old tactics you are trying to use here:go on the offensive first to ward off the attack you know would surely come.