Gully erosion threatens southern states

Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr.  Ngeri S.  Benebo made this known during the opening of a workshop on essential enforcement for staff of the agency and other stakeholders in Minna, recently. He, however, said flooding and erosion persisted in all parts of the country with south-eastern and […]

Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr.  Ngeri S.  Benebo made this known during the opening of a workshop on essential enforcement for staff of the agency and other stakeholders in Minna, recently.
He, however, said flooding and erosion persisted in all parts of the country with south-eastern and south-south states most vulnerable.
The Director General who was represented by a director in the agency, Dr. Lawrer Anukam, added that the information revealed that there are 700 identified gully erosion sites in Anambra, 600 in Enugu, 450 in Imo, 300 in Abia and 250 in Ebonyi, adding that the causes of flooding and erosion vary from one to the other but human factor appeared to be most prevalent with quarrying and indiscriminate destruction of vegetation as the main responsible activitiess.
According to her, there was no enforcement in about 10 years ago in the country, saying that caused a lot of rot in the environment sector.
She said: “There was such a lacuna for close to 10 years wherein no enforcement activities took place and that caused a lot of rot in the environment sector and we needed to rebuild the enforcement structure, refocus the enforcement goals and put them in place so as to be able to drive the process.”
Benebo stated that in the past, her agency had no single law governing the activities of the agency, expressing her satisfaction that the agency now working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment had developed 28 national environmental regulations.
She said, “We have regulation to cover sectors like construction, tennary, food and beverages, textile, natural environment of waterlands, watersheds, costal area protection, desertification and draught mitigation.”