The issue of pollution is a global problem, and it's something that requires a joint effort involving every country and individuals if we are ever going to beat it. I have seen the people blame the government for pollution, and I used to be one of them until I realized that we are the major problem, not just the government.
Although the government has its faults, we are the ones who litter the environment, expecting the government to come clean the mess we've made. They are actually playing their part and I think focusing on popular places when it comes to enforcing law against improper waste management is the only issue I have with the government.
Many times, I have wondered why we just can't tackle pollution successfully. Is it that people don't know the negative impact of pollution, or are we finding it difficult to do the needful? If we look around, this pollution of a thing is really affecting us, and yet, we keep doing things that mess up our environment all the time.
Our land, water, and even the air we breathe are polluted. As a matter of fact, this is a struggle I don't see us overcoming in the next 100 years because things will only get worse as we generate more waste due to the drastic increase in the world population.
In my environment, it saddens my heart to see pollution thriving despite the government's efforts to keep things down. I have been in this neighborhood for 6 years if I am not mistaken, and I see the effort of the Lagos Waste Management Authority always showing up regularly to help dispose of waste for a token.
They are everywhere, not just in my neighborhood but in Lagos as a state, and yet, we still don't stand a chance against pollution because a lot of people still do not want to pay that token. They prefer creating a waste site where different people dump their stuff or probably give the waste to unprofessionals who end up disposing of the waste illegally, and when the wind comes, it would take the waste to different locations, blocking our drainage, creating foul smells, and littering every corner of the street.
| litters everywhere | clogged drainage |
|---|---|
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The sight of these things can be super annoying, and the repercussions aren't farfetched. Whenever it rains, we complain of floods, forgetting that it's our illegal disposal of waste that clogged our drainage system, hereby causing floods. There are places you have to hold your breath while passing through just because of the terrible odor emitting from decaying waste.
It is more annoying for me to wake up every day and start picking up sachets and cartons I didn't use outside my house just because someone isn't ready to pay the Lawma to properly dispose of their waste. Honestly, it's pretty bad, and I don't see changes happening until everyone makes a clean planet a priority.
About coping, I am doing just fine because I ensure that picking up dirty outside my place is a compulsory duty for me to keep my space clean. I struggle in dirty environment and it would be a terrible thing of me to just allow pollution thrive around me knowing fully well that I can't control what other people do with their waste.
Unfortunately the government efforts is not enough and I believe that waste management shouldn't end with the state efforts. The task should be broken down to people at the local level as well so they can cover more grounds not just for waste disposal but to educate people and enforce the law against improper/illegal disposal of waste.
With all hands on deck, I believe that we can make a significant progress but completely eradicating pollution won't be possible. The world is pretty far away from that achievement and the most important thing now is everyone playing our part.
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