Anambra State is witnessing a major grassroots push against plastic pollution as the Initiative for Agulu Development (IAD), a local NGO, launches a river cleanup campaign to combat mounting waste along water bodies. The group warns that the consumption of fish from polluted rivers poses growing health risks.
Over the weekend, IAD mobilized youths, traders, and officials from the State Ministry of Environment to clear plastic waste from the banks of the Omambala River near Umuoba Anam Market in Anambra East Local Government Area. The exercise, tagged “Operation Clear the Rivers of Plastics,” is the first in a series of interventions planned across the state.
Leading the initiative, IAD President Chike Aniukwu highlighted the dangers of plastic contamination in aquatic life. “Floods sweep market and drainage waste into the river, and these plastics don’t break down easily,” he said. “They become microplastics that are consumed by fish, which people then eat. It’s a serious health issue.”
Aniukwu emphasized that the campaign would be extended to riverine communities throughout Anambra in an effort to curb pollution and protect public health.
Echoing his concerns, Pastor Ben Agape, Coordinator of the Anambra State Recyclers Association, praised IAD’s efforts and stressed the environmental and health hazards posed by plastic waste.
“The root of the problem is poor plastic management at homes and factories,” Agape said. “That’s why we’re pushing for recycling. We recover plastics from riverbanks and invite off-takers to buy them as raw materials.”
Agape noted that the demand for used plastics has risen so sharply that people now collect them at social events like weddings and funerals for resale.
He also blamed the increase in plastic pollution on the nationwide shift from paper to plastic packaging, stating that the Recyclers Association has initiated statewide recovery programs to keep plastics out of the waterways.
