The Anambra State Government has intensified its environmental enforcement efforts as the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade on Wednesday launched a full-scale clean-up and no-street-trading exercise across major parts of the state.
The Managing Director of the Brigade, Celestine Anere, led the enforcement operation at the Onitsha Main Market, declaring that the agency would no longer tolerate any form of street trading or environmental violations.
Anere said the brigade had adopted a firm, uncompromising approach to enforcing state environmental laws, warning that offenders would receive no sympathy or exemption.
“The importance of keeping all drainages clean and fully desilted is to prevent diseases and ensure a safe and healthy environment. Any neglect will attract strict penalties,” he said.
He added that the clean-up and enforcement exercise would be continuous, stressing the need for consistency to maintain environmental safety. “Enforcement of environmental regulations in every locality will continue without interruption,” he said.
Anere also expressed concern over the rising number of buildings constructed without catchment pits, forcing many property owners to discharge wastewater onto public roads.
He described the practice as illegal, harmful to public health and destructive to infrastructure, noting that the Anambra State Environmental Laws strictly prohibit the discharge of wastewater from private compounds into public spaces.
He added that all car-wash operators without approved wastewater management systems would face immediate closure.
“As part of the ongoing operation, our operatives have also begun the removal of shanties, illegal structures, and buildings erected on drainage channels across the state,” he said.
According to him, such structures obstruct water flow, worsen flooding and violate physical planning regulations. He appealed to residents to support the government by obeying environmental laws and collaborating with the Brigade to keep communities clean.
“We urge households, traders, and business operators to take responsibility for sustaining a hygienic, orderly, and environmentally safe Anambra State,” he added.
There was fear across the state following the government’s intensified crackdown on environmental infractions, including a ban on single-use plastics, zero tolerance for illegal waste dumping, and the shutdown of car-wash centres without proper drainage systems.
The heightened fear stems from the stiff penalties outlined in the Anambra State Environmental Management Protection and Administration Law 2024, including fines, three months’ imprisonment, sealing of properties, and suspension of business permits.
The Commissioner for Environment, Felix Odimegwu, said on Monday that the enforcement exercise followed a year-long sensitisation campaign, public awareness initiatives, and wide stakeholder engagement across the state.
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