It has become fashionable in this part of the world to engage in unwholesome practices while celebrating. These are practices that are not only harmful to society but also destroy public utilities.
One of them is the practice of burning tyres on the roads during festive periods and this is remarkably so on New Year’s Eve every year. It is the time people welcome the coming year while bidding goodbye to the former. Most times, it is marked by burning used motor tyres on the roads.
This practice, according to experts, has the capability of leading to the weakening of such roads which soon develop potholes. This practice has always gone on despite government’s yearly warning against making bonfires on the roads.
Ahead of the just concluded Christmas celebration, the Anambra State Government had warned members of the public, as well as traders, against burning any tyres or other combustible materials on the roads. But this warning was, as usual, observed in breach across the state within the said period.
It will be recalled that while issuing the warning, the Commissioner for Environment, Engr. Felix Odimegwu, observed that people usually resorted to burning of tyres and other materials during festivities, such as New Year.
According to the Commissioner, actions like those released a significant amount of toxic pollutants such as Sulphur Dioxide SO2, Nitrogen Oxide NOx, Carbon Monoxide CO, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter into the atmosphere.
He said they were very harmful to both plant animal and aquatic life, and also harmed and defaced the environment.
His words, ‘When tyres are burnt on tarred roads, the heat and fire which emanate from them cause the binding molecules to disintegrate, hence affecting the bitumen or coal-tar used for the construction of the roads. Pot holes always begin and expand from the spots where these tyres are burnt.
‘The state government spends huge resources to construct these roads. These resources are not only limited but are carefully deployed and prioritized. The state cannot therefore afford to have these roads so built to be destroyed over obnoxious practices as a result of frenzied over-excitement.
‘Ndi Anambra are therefore enjoined to shun the practice of burning tyres on our roads as this is very detrimental to our environment and often leads to infrastructural decay of our roads. They may have ignorantly indulged in so doing before but this practice of tyre burning on Anambra roads must stop forthwith.
‘The relevant enforcement agencies attached with the Ministry of Environment will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any person caught burning tyres on our roads.’
It is really unfortunate that it is the people for whom roads are built that are ensuring that the roads do not last by burning tyres on roads and this does not seem likely to end any time soon.
To this end, we suggest that the state government liaise with communities with a view to enforcing the ban on setting off of bonfires on roads and prosecuting defaulters. There are actions that should not be contemplated, least of all being carried out. The citizens should help in protecting public facilities built with scarce resources.
