The National Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NASEREA) says it has encouraged industries to develop Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) to control land and water pollution in Kano State.
Mr Lukman Lawal, the Zonal Coordinator in charge of Kano zone comprising the seven states in the North-West, stated this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kano.
NAN reports that ETP is a process designed for treating industrial waste water for reuse or safe disposal to the environment.
The technology is categorised into three stages of Influent: Untreated industrial waste water; Effluent treated industrial waste water, and Sludge which refers to solid parts separated from the waste water.
The process is also divided into parts: Primary and Secondary Effluent.
Lawal disclosed that the agency had encouraged over 60 per cent of industries operating in Kano State to set up ETP technologies since inception in 2010.
He noted that ETP was critical to the control of water and land pollution caused by the discharge of influent by the industries.
The coordinator said the industries which included tanneries, textiles, beverages, mills and pharmaceutical set up mini ETP plants in compliance with the extant environmental laws governing their operations.
Lawal said the agency had implemented 32 environmental regulations gazette, to provide cleaner, greener and healthy environment as well as inspire personal and collective responsibility to protect the environment.
He said: “We have mechanism to enforce compliance with ETP and other environmental guidelines.
“The agency has the power to sanction or seal recalcitrant facilities that will endanger the quality of the environment.”
According to him, plans are under way for the establishment of centralise ETP reservoir to link the mini plants established by the industries in the state.
Lawal revealed further that the agency had also sensitised hospitals, isolation centres, health workers and officials of the Kano State Ministry of Environment on COVID-19 guidelines for proper handling of medical waste.
He said that the agency also recorded 12 complaints on improper use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LPG) plants in Kano metropolis in the past six months.
The coordinator added that the agency had adopted effective surveillance mechanism to ensure effective monitoring and control noise pollution emanating from communication and broadcast marts located in residential areas and strategic locations in the metropolis.
While calling on the companies to comply with environment safety standards, Lawal urged the people to report unhealthy activities by industries, to protect the environment and safe guard public health.
