The Lagos state Government, southwest Nigeria, says it has started the capping exercise  to end environmental hazards caused by the fumes emanating from the Olusosun Dumpsite in Ojota area of the state.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti made this known at the 2018 Ministerial Press Briefing organized to commemorate the 3rd year in office of the state Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.

Mr Durosinmi-Etti mentioned that the state is aware of the health implication of fumes to the residents of the area and would ensure that all the necessary efforts towards making the site environmental friendly is achieved.

The capping exercise according to him is the covering of the landfill fires spots with sand thereby removing oxygen which fueled the burning sites.

“There are surface and deep-seated fires. When the fire begins at a dumpsite scene, from the surface it goes deep into it. And Landfill fires is being fuelled by emitted gas which is trapped under the waste as a result of bio-decomposition of waste which is under the ground.

And when the gas is mixed with oxygen, it becomes more violent and burns seriously.

And in an attempt to quench the fire, the first thing to do is to remove oxygen from the burning flame so as to reduce the inflammability of the fire and that is what we have started,” Durosinmi-Etti said

He said that Olusosun site, spans about 47 hectares of land was created in 1992, at a time when the state was sparsely populated and that government has ordered residents of the area to evacuate temporarily till the site is finally capped and the fumes subsided.