ABSTRACT
Waste management in Enugu state has become ineffective in recent time. People often dump
their waste indiscriminately everywhere, thereby exposing the inhabitants of the area to
dangerous diseases due to the mess caused by the waste. It is because of the above mentioned
problem that this research project is carried out. The purpose of this research project, the
Prospects and Challenges of Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA),
are: to identify the challenges encountered by ESWAMA in managing waste, to evaluate the
waste disposal systems of ESWAMA, and identify the effects of waste disposal management
on the environment and on the people’s health. The data used in this study were obtained
from both primary and secondary sources.
The population of the study was 209. Out of this
number, a sample size of 137 was obtained, using Taro Yamane formula. The research
instruments used were questionnaire and interview guide. Descriptive research design was
used in this study. Chi-square statistical method was used to test the hypotheses. The findings
from the study reveal that: poor management and inadequate waste disposal facilities are
the challenges facing ESWAMA in managing wastes in Enugu; hog feeding, open dumping,
incineration, resources recovering, composition and pyrolysis are the waste disposal system of
ESWAMA that helps it in managing waste effectively; the identified positive effect of waste
management in Enugu state had brought about clean environment and better health condition
of the people in Enugu state. Based on the findings, the researcher concluded that although
the use of waste disposal systems by ESWAMA had contributed to improvement in waste
management in the state, and this has consequently brought about clean environment and
better health condition of the people, poor management and insufficient waste disposal
facilities still remain the major challenges confronting ESWAMA negatively.The
researcher recommended that: government should increase fund allocation to ESWAMA,
competent persons should be given managerial functions to perform and corrupt people
should be removed from the office. Strong internal control should be put in place and monthly
sanitation exercise should be kept, order to sustain the clean environment and better health
condition of the people.
