Posted by From Uzoma Nzeagwu, Akwa on
WITH over 550 erosion sites in several communities, Anambra State has been rated by Governor Chris Ngige as the most devastated state in the South East geo-political zone.
WITH over 550 erosion sites in several communities, Anambra State has been rated by Governor Chris Ngige as the most devastated state in the South East geo-political zone.
He also said the state equally topped those hard hit by the menace throughout the federation.
Ngige gave his assessment during a tree-planting exercise in Akwa, the state capital.
Represented by his deputy, Ugochukwu Nwankwo, Ngige appealed for Federal Government's assistance to combat the scourge.
"The foundation of several buildings have been eaten up. Many homes are threatened or abandoned, farmlands devastated and many people have migrated to other areas", Ngige said, warning that the people's survival which entirely depends on the environment was being threatened.
Ngige said the worst affected areas were Alor, Obosi, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Umuchu, and Agulu, which according to him, had exposed the state to hazards of environmental degradation.
Although he said the state had made giant strides at tackling the erosion menace, the government's lean purse cannot carry it alone.
In his remark, the Commissioner for Environment, Mineral Resources, Science and Technology, Dr. Okey Enemuo, called on the three-tiers of government in the country to fashion out policies that would help to create a sustainable environment in their communities.
Enemuo, whose ministry, in collaboration with the state government organised the project, blamed the situation on man's activities on the soil. He said that such activities had created problems, which have continued to pose serious threats to the environment.
"Urbanisation, population explosion, bush burning, soil excavation and indiscriminate felling of trees have given rise to large-scale destruction of our rainforest".
He gave that the side-effects as depletion of biochemistry, underground aquifers and the green house effect.
The commissioner noted that this year's theme: "Green Cities - Plan for the Planet", was timely and for the state, and it was a strategy aimed at reinforcing the need for environmental education.
Enemuo reminded them that the essence of tree-planting was to check the destruction of the environment and destruction of our natural and economic resources by erosion.
According to him, the tree-planting exercise performed by governor would encourage the cultivation of ornamental and multipurpose tress in and around cities. He called on the citizens to imbibe the habit of tree-planting.
The commissioner also appealed to churches, corporate organisations and schools to commence the exercise to check erosion.