The Anambra State Government has stepped up its environmental enforcement campaign with a full-scale clean-up and no-street trading operation across major parts of the state, led by the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade. The Managing Director of the Brigade, Celestine Anere, who supervised the enforcement at the Onitsha Main Market on Wednesday, said the state would no longer tolerate street trading, indiscriminate waste disposal or any form of environmental violation.
Anere said the Brigade had adopted a firm and uncompromising posture to ensure full compliance with environmental laws, warning that offenders should not expect sympathy or exemption. He stressed that the clearing and desilting of drainages remained essential to preventing diseases and safeguarding public health, adding that neglect would attract strict penalties.
He noted that the enforcement exercise would be continuous, insisting that consistency was necessary to maintain environmental safety across all communities. According to him, the rising number of buildings constructed without catchment pits has become a source of concern, as many property owners now channel wastewater directly onto public roads — an act he described as illegal, harmful, and destructive to public infrastructure.
Anere said the state’s environmental laws clearly prohibit the discharge of wastewater from private compounds into public spaces, warning that all car-wash operators without approved wastewater management systems would face immediate closure. He revealed that the Brigade had also begun removing shanties, illegal structures, and buildings erected on drainage channels, noting that such constructions obstruct water flow, worsen flooding, and violate physical planning regulations.
He appealed to residents to obey environmental laws and cooperate with the Brigade, urging households, traders, and business operators to take responsibility for maintaining hygiene and orderliness in their surroundings.
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Earlier reports indicated rising anxiety 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 operating without proper drainage systems. The heightened fear is linked to the stiff penalties outlined in the Anambra State Environmental Management Protection and Administration Law 2024, which include fines, three-month imprisonment, sealing of properties, and suspension of business permits.
The Commissioner for Environment, Felix Odimegwu, said on Monday that the enforcement followed a year-long sensitisation campaign, extensive public awareness drives, and broad stakeholder engagement across the state.
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