S MANAGING PUBLIC HEALTH RISK

Peter Aniediabasi John (Senior Environmental Consulta nt/Biotech nologist)

E
legal Services Nigeria Limited- Port Harcourt
Chief Managing Consult ant; eco
W
It has become a tradition for people t o deposit human waste by the road side, near fences, into drains and other
A prohibited places in our environment. In the days of the law abiding and efficient W AI Brigade (War Against
G Indiscipline Brigade), t he country experienced a high level discipline because of t he consequences of using public places
as repository of human waste. But today, the country knows no such level of discipline anymore. Despite the fact that
E these wastes const itute nuisance in our environment, they also remain the worst material to transfer and transport
disease causing organism, ranging from bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematode and other parasites. Deposition of this class of
waste in the drains furt her extends the possibilities of contaminating the end receiving surface water, thereby rendering
the water unfit for any purpose. Amongst all species of domestic waste, sewage happens to be the most dangerous
D because of t he huge microbial load, which persist over a longer period because of the available nutrient in the sewage.

A Sewage; t hough seen as waste, if properly controlled and managed, can serve a very important purpose in the
agricultural sector. Urine is composed of uric acid, which is also a component of the uric acid fertilizer used in highly
N basic soil, with pH status t ending towards the end in the pH scale. A proper dilution of urine can be used to treat and
amend basic soils. Faeces, both in solid, semi solids and liquid form can be used extensively as soil manure because of the
G loosely existing rich nutrient it contains. We are all use to the practice of using cow dung and chicken droppings as
manure and feed supplement, but using human waste is not a common practice in our society. Human waste is effectively
E exploited in developed countries for t he production of useful industrial raw materials, agricultural enhancers, power
generation and feed supplement s. This was borne out of the fact t hat the quantity of sewage or human waste is
R dependent on population, and if the population increases, t here is every tendency of having more raw materials for re-use
and re-cycling, thereby reducing the volume of the waste in circulation.

Specially designed plants are operational in these countries to treat and convert sewage to economically important
I materials, ranging from particle wood production, manure, heat generator, feed supplem ents, substrate for methane gas
production, earth re-fill m at erial, oil spill cases, single cell/pure protein production and many more. If this is existing,
M there is a need for us to employ some of these t echnology to alleviate our public health risk, create employment, enhance
agricultural practices and support the W aste-to-Wealth concept and the 3R (Re-use, Re-cycle, Reduce) principle of
P effect ive waste management. A n attempt to properly manage sewage is the beginning of a better approach to achieving
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and more specifically the President Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s Seven Point
O Agenda on public health, disease control, mortality and environmental improvem ent and balance.

R In Nigeria as a whole, little is done to properly manage sewage. From latest researches, it has been discovered to be a
very lucrative practice if properly mechaniz ed. It is also a revenue spinning exercise for the Government when planned
T correctly in line with the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) concept, where stake holders will be given opport unity to
partake in the successful running of the facilit y. To achieve a clean and healthy environment , aest hetics is considered as
A an im portant aspect of t he management strategy, where penalties are clearly stated out with fine to be paid. Further
more, monitoring teams also have a vital role to play, as they are required to inspect, permit, arrest and supervise all
N event s that have to do with sewage management in any State in Nigeria. The hazards are better felt in the Niger Delta
region where coastal human settlements are populat ed. Sewage depositories are not well defined, thereby permitting the
C set tlers to deposit freely into the open water, an act, which can wipe off communities with diseases such cholera,
dysentery, with com mon conditions such as diarrhoea, fever, gastroenteritis, nausea, vomit ing, weight loss, stomach
E cramp and an event ual death if not properly managed.

In maintaining a clean environment and a city worth visiting, t hese species of waste m ust be properly and professionally
managed, because they are good indicators of public healt h status, discipline, societal stability, existence of system,
A wealth and environmentally friendly governance. As the saying goes, ‘Health is W ealth’, it can be achieved clean
environment is in place. In setting up an operational plant for the purpose of treating and converting sewage,
N considerations may be made from house-hold plant to city size treatment and conversion plant, which can range from
Millions of US Dollars to Billions of US Dollars depending on the extent of hi-tech units included in the plant. The most
D interesting things are the end products, such as solids (manure/feed), liquid (clean water) and gas (methane), which can
be used to power the plant and the nearby communities. Large sewage plants in the world today contributes their power
to the national grid or are licensed to run independently as private power supply companies. Other than t he gas been
used as fuel to power an electric turbine, st eam from the water produced is also used to power large turbines for the
P production of power and cont ribution t o t he national or major grid. All these advantages are derived because of the huge
microbial activities simply referred to as methanogenesis. Sewage is a rich pool of microbial species, with the abilit y to
R de-odorize and breakdown complex organics t o simpler and readily available form for subsequent utilizat ion.
O Having all these in mind, sewage is better converted than indiscriminately disposing it into the open environment,
thereby exposing t he public to disease and death haz ards. It swells on exposure to moisture, making it possible for
S sewage to block wat er ways, channels and drainages. W hen this happens, it makes available good breathing ground for
mosquitoes and rodents, which are known as vectors of disease causing organisms. Other than m aking available good
P breathing ground for mosquitoes, they also cause ‘eut rophication’, a condition where there is an excessive nutrient
release into water bodies, making it possible to have blooms and an end suffocation of fishes and other water organisms.
E Sewage debris can swell as much as one meter (1m), which can disrupt normal and natural water characteristics and
making hard surfaces for access of animals, insects and human.
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The establishment of the plant is an advantage than a disadvantage lastly because of missive job creation for all
T categories of people, ranging from highly technical hands to casuals. It is bett er to embrace the Wast e- to-Wealth
concept, in other to create, establish and sustain a clean, healthy, safe, friendly and habitable environment for the States
S and for the Country as a whole. This is one sure avenue through which the Millennium Development Goals can be
addressed and once these are established, many other problems will be taken care of.