Abstract
Public health challenges and indiscriminate solid waste disposal in Urora, Benin City, Nigeria Abstract Over urbanisation and population explosion in sub-Saharan African cities compound the existing weak urban management services that result in public health issues. Public health challenges such as crippling air pollution arise from the improper solid waste management and subsequent decomposition which release pungent odours to the atmosphere. Closely related to this hazard is flooding (exacerbated by uncollected solid waste) that harbours disease-carrying vectors which result in malaria fever, diarrhoea, eye, and skin infections are experienced by Urora residents, a suburb of Benin City, Nigeria. The focus of this study, therefore, is to explore the persistent indiscriminate solid waste disposal that affects public health and safety, which manifests in causation. Within the urban planning parlance, it addresses the issue of deficiency in the provision of essential services and amenities, especially to the poor, the less privileged who reside at the outskirts of the city. The study finds expression in the lived experiences and consciousness of residents, hence the use of ethnographic studies. The study further uses a combination of phenomenology and neurophenomenology with insights from neuroscience in the methodology, analysis and interpretation of data. Since the study pertains to the human-environment relationship that is seen as two concepts but existentially lived as one -embodiment. Therefore, the study is a multi-disciplinary scholarship located at the intersection of and critical reflection among anthropology, neuroscience, urban planning, and urban health. Drawing on recent research that centred on indiscriminate solid waste disposal by residents who have spent not less than ten years as a basis for participant selection, the study made use of ethnographic based observation to locate use activities especially worship centres. The study is complemented by accounts of 3 resident key informants and the phenomenological-guided interview of 5 heads of households of different income groups and religious persuasions. The study used the second-person account of the interview technique to solicit verbal and non-verbal information from participants. Through ethnographic content analysis/thick description and phenomenological analysis of lived experiences, the following were the findings; lack of public enlightenment of residents, increased generation of refuse, weak collection services. Others include given the low-lying topography, and decomposing trash possibly results in leachate percolation, the non-involvement of key stakeholders in the planning and the execution of solid waste management are factors contributing to the degradation of the environment. As a way to remedy the situation, some of the residents have resorted to the self-help approach by dumping refuse in secluded areas and open-air burning, thus potentially cause dizziness, headache, and respiratory complications. Given the crippling air pollution, the olfactory and somatosensory monitors of residents are negatively impacted concerning object-directed and action-oriented behaviours. The study further finds that to stem the tide of public health risks and safety, traditional and religious leaders could use rituals as the unique leverage of driving effective waste management in the settlement. The critical finding guides this approach that despite having a population of fewer than 50 000 residents, Urora is host to 36 public worship centres (over 31 churches and prayer houses and at least five traditional worship centres) as well as private and individual altars. Through faith-based and community associations that find common ground in ritual-based practices among the residents, the study will contribute to the sustainable city vision, and by extension in tandem with the New Urban Agenda whose key objectives comprise inclusivity and sustainability. Keywords: Public health, solid waste, ritual, neuroscience
