‘Give us trucks, disposal sites’ — Kano waste evacuators

Human waste evacuators in Kano State have called on the state government to provide more trucks and additional designated disposal sites to improve sanitation and support operators in the sector.

The Chairman of the Gidan Kowa Da Akwai Association of Human Waste Evacuators, Ibrahim Muhammad, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen.

Muhammad said the association had more than 1,000 registered members, while many other operators remained unregistered.

He said the business provided livelihoods for hundreds of workers and their families, with an increasing number of young people joining the sector.

According to him, inadequate trucks and limited disposal facilities remain major challenges affecting effective waste evacuation in the state.

Muhammad said more than 20 people could depend on a single mini-truck for waste transportation, urging the government to provide additional vehicles or facilitate affordable loans for operators to purchase trucks.

He also called for the establishment of more disposal sites, noting that Janguza, Kwanar Mahuwa, was currently the only designated site available to operators.

He said some disposal facilities previously provided by the government had become inaccessible after residential developments sprang up around them.

The association chairman said operators were collaborating with the government to tackle indiscriminate disposal and discourage the involvement of children in waste evacuation.

He added that the association maintained a cordial relationship with the state Ministry of Environment and regularly sensitised members on safer and more responsible practices.

Muhammad appealed to residents to stop stigmatising waste evacuators, stressing that their services were essential to maintaining sanitation and public health in Kano.