With desertification continuing to claim more habitable land in the northern parts of the country, and the ocean moving further inland in the coastal areas, the south-eastern states of the federation are confronted with the devastating effects of erosion and other environmental problems. Jude Ossai (Enugu), Biola Azeez (Umuahia) and  Clement Oko-Nnachi (Abakaliki) report.

APART from kidnapping and armed robbery, which had in recent times portrayed the South-East geopolitical zone in a bad light, one other nagging issue confronting the Igbo enclave is environmental degradation, especially with regard to erosion.

It is no longer news that the people of the five states of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo  have tales of woes on environmental degradation in the zone.

And, to the dismay of many, some residents in the region are not helping matters as they block drainages whenever rain is falling.

In Enugu State, the poor sanitation situation which has left the streets of Enugu defaced with mounting heaps of refuse, is a serious concern to the state Government.

In response to this ugly development, the government has taken new measures to address the problems of the State Waste Management Authority, ESWAMA, with a view to ensuring effective waste disposal in Enugu and Nsukka urban.

It will be recalled that Governor Sullivan Chime, while addressing Enugu State indigenes, resident in Abuja at a town hall meeting, disclosed that all efforts made by his government to ensure a clean environment came to naught as there were people out there sabotaging his government’s efforts.

Governor Chime, however, disclosed that his government has been able to identify the source of the sabotage and would soon do something to ensure that the sanitation situation in the cities of Enugu and Nsukka improved.

To ensure a lasting solution to the sanitation problem and check the drift into sanitation quagmire, the state government has, as part of its new measures to strengthen ESWAMA, invited a team of mechanical engineers from the company that supplied the state with 15 waste disposal trucks as well as over a thousand dumpsters, to come and effect repairs on the dilapidated trucks and provide spare parts for regular maintenance of the vehicles.

In addition, the government has also completed arrangements for the visiting engineers to train ESWAMA staff on how to repair and service the trucks for better operations and service delivery.

It is not an overstatement to say that the sanitation situation in Enugu metropolis is about causing an epidemic, as refuse now jostles for space on the roads with motorists.

Some residents of the metropolis use the drainage as a dumping ground for waste products as they dump refuse in there each time rains, consequently blocking the drainage where run water is expected to flow .

However, the Nigerian Tribune observed that erosion is more pronounced in rural areas than urban cerntres, apparently because government’s attention is  focused more on the metropolis.

In Abia State, Governor Theodore Orji’s administration needs about N350 billion to contain and rehabilitate 2,050 erosion ravaged areas that are scattered all over the 17 local government areas of the state.

Speaking in Umuahia recently, a former Commissioner for Environment in the state, Engineer Charles Ojukwu, said the present government in the state has spent about N1.2 billion to contain only three erosion sites in the communities around the state university, ABSU, and two other sites.

The commissioner, who said the state would soon be forced to relocate some affected communities to other areas of the state, while inhabitants of such areas would be turned to environmental refugees, added that erosion had already washed away houses and farmlands, polluted sources of drinking water and cut off roads in  affected areas of the state.

He said parts of the envisaged problems of the planned relocation measure would include hardships to many families, food insecurity, lack of land for cultivation of crops and possible outbreak of communal war, “because the host communities may not accept the refugees.”

Ojukwu, who said the erosion problem in the state was being worsened by the selective way the ecological funds were accessed by states of the federation, added that Abia State had not been able to access the ecological fund to tackle erosion problem because the state had not been a PDP-controlled state until recently.

He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government  to assist the state with the needed funds now that the state is being controlled by a PDP government , saying the state government does not have the financial wherewithal to salvage the situation.

The former commissioner, who said that human actions contribute immensely to erosion menace, said illegal sand excavation and mining are major contributory factors, aside building of houses and dumping of refuse in drainages.

He said government had been carrying on programmes to sensitise the people on the need to protect their environment by planting trees and ensuring  a hygienic environment.

The former commissioner, who also called for an amendment of the Abia State environmental law of 2004 establishing the state environmental protection agency ASEPA, added that the law was made in a hurry and gave too much independence to the agency, thereby making it impossible to be supervised by the ministry.

He said certain measures have been put in place to ensure an amendment of the law in the state House of Assembly, adding that the constraint had been that amendment of any law takes a long process and time to accomplish.

Meanwhile, Governor Orji has created a new ministry of Urban Renewal to tackle the persistent environmental problems facing the commercial city of Aba.

Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony of new commissioners in Umuahia last week, the governor said he was determined to give a facelift to the city in an attempt  to restore its lost glory.

He also charged the residents to be more responsible on environmental matters, adding that they should stop building on waterways to forestall erosion and flooding, and discourage dumping of refuse in gutters and  drainages to avoid pollution, erosion and health problems.

Also in Ebonyi State, erosion is a major problem  as it had led to floods destroying towns and villages.
The communities affected by these natural calamities include Ezza, Afikpo South, Ozizza, Ibii, Ohaozara, Izzi and Ishieke, all cutting across the three senatorial zones of the state.

The floods destroy houses, schools, religious institutions, and cause deep gullies, in addition to causing major damage on roads.

A recent study on the impact of ecological disaster and how to control it showed that several millions of naira is needed to prevent the reoccurrence of erosion in most parts of the state
Also, a stakeholder in sanitation matters in Ebonyi State , who is also  the president of Neighbourhood Environment Watch – an environmental and transparency Non Governmental Organisation, Hon. Kelechi Okezie, told the Nigerian Tribune that municipal waste is a critical factor in environmental protection.

It is worthy of note that erosion is capital intensive and needs special attention not only on the part of government, but also Non-Governmental agencies like the British Department for International Development,  USAID, UNDP among others.

Many environmentalists have expressed worry at the level of ecological disaster in the region, particularly in the state.

In December 2006, the Nigerian government signed a N3.3 billion contract for 16 projects in 13 states affected by ecological disasters, which the Federal Government described as worrisome.

The Ebonyi State government, under the leadership of Governor Martin Elechi, desirous of tackling the menace of erosion, and ensuring that drainages in the state capital are not blocked, set up the  Abakaliki Capital City Development Authority .

Consequently, the state House of Assembly has passed the bill establishing  the development authority into law, as a way of giving it the necessary legal  backing to enable it to operate and plan the city in accordance with the terms of reference, which include identifying spots or areas of erosion and environmental degradation that tend to destroy human habitation.

The development authority is equally mandated to provide drainage facilities, gutters and landscaping that will turn the state capital around.

Secondly, the state government has equally set up a state Environmental Protection Agency (ESEPA) and has been waging relentless battle for healthy environment, handling of waste and environmental management.

Thirdly, the state government through the Ministry of Lands, Urban Planning and Environment, has identified erosion sites and has embarked on measures to curtail the devastating effects of this ugly trend.

The effects of erosion are enormous and all hands must be on deck to address the menace.

In the first place, many roads in the state have been destroyed by erosion, and this poses a serious threat to the movement of goods and agricultural produce from one community to another.

Moreover, landslide, gully erosion and floods have resulted in the loss of lives and property in affected communities.

Also, uncontrollable floods have submerged villagers affected by erosion, subsequently leading to declaration of such areas as disaster zones.

Furthermore, the devastating effects of erosion have created refugee problems in affected areas, as many villagers have been forced to flee from their communities to seek refuge elsewhere because their abode had been wiped out.

Based on the aforementioned effects and hazards of erosion and other environmental problems, the following measures have been proffered as solutions, and places where some of them have been adopted by the state government need greater commitment.

Firstly, due to the growing population of the state, 100 tonnes of waste is generated daily; there is, therefore, the need for the government to improve on the funding of the state environmental protection agency to enhance its proficiency.

Secondly, collaboration with international organisations for effective protection of the global environment is equally a necessity. Such collaborative efforts have resulted in positive contributions to the development of appropriate policies, legislations and action plans.

In addition, addressing the menace of erosion, entails halting the excavation of sand as this will help reduce the impact of erosion whenever it occurs.

Reacting to the efforts of the state government to curtail the menace of erosion, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health & Environment, said the government was   partnering with the ecological fund office, Abuja, to enhance the combat of the menace, urging  the Federal Government to speed up intervention for  the state.

According to him, new dependable sources of funding for flood, erosion and other ecological disaster control should be sought.

He opined that drainage improvement will go a long way in tackling the menace of erosion. Man made ditches and storm sewers, according to him, help drain areas where the surface drainage system is inadequate, maintaining that drainage and storm sewer improvement are designed to carry the run off from  smaller, more frequent storms which convey water to other locations.

Be that as it may, most of the environmental analysts interviewed were optimistic that flood and erosion control measures, if adopted and implemented, would stem the menace of erosion and other environmental problems in the zone.

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Climate change Is scientific truth not PROPHECY
written by Ma'aji Caleb Zonkwa, September 06, 2010

Fellow Nigerians, prepare and face climate change by yourself and help government by planting trees stop building on water Ways or under High tension cables, make sure structure foundations are solid because the land mass is getting suck with water; becoming volatle and acidic which can itch and degrade any stone and weak concreate; finally the soil become naturaly weak and will not carry any load. Eat natural food and avoid much of the advertise ones.Lastly the climate change is real and not PHROPHESY....!

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