By Vincent Ujumadu
Worried by the rising menace of gully erosion, the Anambra State Government has threatened to enforce regulations requiring residents to provide proper drainage for storm water from their homes.
The State Executive Council (ANSEC), which announced the proposed enforcement, lamented that erosion remains an existential challenge in Anambra, blaming the situation on careless actions by some communities and lapses by regulatory bodies in enforcing environmental laws.
Briefing journalists after the weekly executive council meeting, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, said it had been observed that some residents channel storm water from their homes directly onto roads, where it accumulates and worsens the erosion crisis across the state.
“ANSEC has resolved to step up enforcement to compel residents to properly channel and manage storm water from their houses. Communities are also expected to comply with specific guidelines, including the construction of erosion barriers and excavating sand only in approved locations,” Mefor said.
The commissioner also disclosed that the government would set up a committee to recover government lands across the state. According to him, the decision followed reports of widespread encroachment, with individuals illegally building on government-owned land.
Meanwhile, ANSEC approved the release of funds for several projects across the state.
Details showed that ₦95.2 million was approved for the provision of water to the newly constructed Ekwulobia flyover bridge fountain and ornamental garden, while ₦172 million was released for landscaping the car park of the new Trauma Centre at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku, Awka.
Other approvals include ₦93.4 million for the installation of a three-way traffic light with pedestrian signals at the Ifite-Amenyi intersection in Awka metropolis; ₦50.4 million for the supply and installation of two 10kVA inverters with 15kW lithium batteries at the Anambra State Civil Service Commission building, Awka; and ₦119.1 million for the supply and installation of transformer substations in Nnewi and Umueze-Anam communities.
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