Anambra State government has announced that it will begin massive enforcement of its environmental laws, warning that defaulters will be arrested, tried, and either jailed or fined.

The Managing Director of the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) Brigade, Comrade Celestine Anere, made this statement during a press conference at his office, saying the enforcement is part of plans to make Anambra a clean and healthy state.

Anere listed some of the existing environmental laws in the state that would be enforced, including restrictions on street trading, hawking, shanties on major roads, the unavailability of public toilets in public facilities, and proper discharge pits in residential areas.

He said: “OCHA Brigade, as a body, has the responsibility of ensuring cleanliness and environmental aesthetics in the state.

“We will begin enforcement on Tuesday next week, and we will not be lenient with anyone. It is better that people comply than for us to go through the stress of arresting them. If we arrest anyone, we will ensure prosecution, and offenders will be liable to prison sentences or fines.”

“People who trade by the roadside have a 48-hour notice to quit. Those with shanties by the roadside must remove them, or we will do so and prosecute them. This time, we will not only confiscate the wares of street traders; we will destroy them and charge the offenders to court.”

“Henceforth, we will no longer tolerate car wash stands without proper discharge pits. All compounds must have pits for wastewater disposal. Any compound that does not comply will be sealed off. We must take our environmental laws seriously,” Anere said.

He expressed concern over the rising trend of property owners erecting residential and commercial buildings without proper catchment pits, channeling wastewater onto public roads and spaces instead.

He condemned the practice as harmful, illegal, and dangerous, stressing that Anambra’s environmental laws strictly prohibit the discharge of wastewater from private premises into public areas.

According to him, it is an offence for households or businesses to direct water from kitchens, bathrooms, compounds, or car-wash outlets onto public roads or drains.

He noted that such structures obstruct water flow, worsen flooding, and violate planning and environmental regulations.

Anambra govt to begin enforcement of environmental laws, warns defaulters