Solid Waste Management: Implication for the spread of Communicable Diseases and Sustainable Development in Aba Urban

Abstract

There is high rate of environmental hazards of which poor solid waste management constitutes a major source in Nigeria. The natural environment as it where endows man with a healthy ecosystem devoid of diseases and a vital support for the sustainable existence of man on earth. However urbanization and other adverse human activities have massively altered the natural environment thereby exposing humans to multiplicity and severe burdens of diseases in Nigeria. This study thus investigated solid waste management: Implication for the spread of communicable diseases and sustainable development in Aba Urban. The study is a cross-sectional survey and used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The sample size was 372 Aba Urban residents aged 18 years and above who were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique made up of cluster, simple random sampling and systematic sampling techniques. Data were collected using the questionnaire schedule and the Key Informant Interview (KII) Guide. The quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, while thematic content analysis was used in analyzing the qualitative data. The findings show that inadequate solid waste management (76.80%), indiscriminate attitude of the people to waste disposal (94.60%), and lack of waste management personnel (81%) are some of the strong factors impeding the effective and efficient solid waste management in Aba urban. Efforts should therefore be made by the government and other private investors to construct waste recycling plants, educate and sensitize the people on the need to keep their surroundings clean and intensify creation of awareness to dispel the indiscriminate attitudes of the people inhibiting effective and efficient solid waste management in Aba urban.