By Aisha Habib Maigiwa
From a skip to a mountain of waste, residents of Sheka Yar kasuwa in kumbotso local government area, Kano state witness the menacing transformation of their once clean environment into home of junkyards.
The flies buzz continuously as a young boy walked tentatively, avoiding to step on the broken glasses and decayed food substances adorning the premises.
Passersby cling on to their nose mask for dear life, fighting the pungent odor stagnantly present in the atmosphere.
Standing on the streets of Sheka Yar kasuwa, it was impossible for one not to notice the mountain of waste which now serve as a landmark for visitors.
Despite the environmental hazard the dump site poses to health, teenagers in Sheka Yar kasuwa have made it a source of income, working as scavengers searching for recyclable bottles.
Yusha’u Aminu has been in the waste disposal business for 3 years now and he narrates that
“This is the closest place to dump waste around here, we don’t know of any where else, my friends and I come all the way from Medile and Rafin kuka everyday to dispose of waste materials.
“It is a lucrative business as it provides us with something to put on the table.”
Sheka Market is an area located in Kumbotso local Government In Kano State.
Serving as both a residential and commercial area, its hustle and bustling nature is seemingly predictable.
As at the year 2000, the area just like many other residences was markedly habitable; businesses thrived and people breathed fresh air, the community friendly waste dumpsite served the right purpose to everyone; made up of two large waste disposal skips which were being emptied by the waste management after every two days.
However the situation changed over the years due to a sudden outpour of uncontrolled waste disposal, the waste disposal skips were destroyed leaving the land engulfed in a heap of waste.
Environmental pollution has serious consequences for human health and ecosystems, these consequences include health problems, water contamination, loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, increase healthcare cost, contaminate food supplies and reduce agricultural productivity.
Weak waste management significantly contributes to environmental pollution as it leads to blocked drainage, land pollution and flooding risks.
An air quality assessment conducted in May 2025 by the Director of Pollution Control at the Kano State Ministry of Environment and climate change, Ibrahim Nasir, revealed that pollution levels in parts of the metropolis were unsafe for public health.
Safiyya Jafar, a mother of six whose household is attached to Sheka Yar Kasuwa waste dumpsite, squeezes her face in disgust of the odor oozing from the waste dump site lamenting how it is has affect her household over the years.
“The compelling odor is unbearable, we have been living in this house for 23 years now, our drainage systems are blocked, the gutter ways are now stagnant, the house is always smelly and dirty as a result of the waste disposals which sometimes litter the front of the house.
“There has been no development ever since , I wish the dumpsite could be taken away from here completely” She said.
Hafsat Yahya who has lived in the area for over 17 years, grimaces as she describes what she said is the worst situation in her life.
“Worms have become our closest companions, we cannot allow our children go beyond the front of our rooms, sometimes they go out without our knowledge and come back looking dirty and smelly, I always panic whenever my 3 year old son falls sick because it is always one diarrhea case or the other.
“We have rats the size of humans parading our compound, I always have to put on a face mask whenever the waste is being cleared due to the tormenting odor.
“The roads have become so narrow that we no longer park our cars in the compound, motor vehicles struggle to pass through as the waste dump has gradually dominated the road.
“My husband has laid complaints to REMASAB countless times but to no avail.”
Muhammad Nasir, a trader running his business in the area recounts how small the waste dumpsite was before its sudden outburst.