Gombe State ACReSAL Desilts Storm Drains, Builds Waste Collection Centres
The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, Gombe State Project Management Unit has cleaned up 13 major storm drains and built 21 waste collection centres in the Gombe metropolis.
Speaking on the official commencement of the desilting project held at Unguwa Uku, Gombe the Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya said the purpose of the activity was to allow for free flow of water to avert flooding and ensure the protection of human lives, property infrastructure and prevent outbreak of diseases among communities.
While describing inordinate waste disposal in water channels as one of the major causes of flooding, the Governor said his administration has made consistent efforts through the relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to enlighten and sensitize communities on the dangers of improper waste disposal and made it a policy to clear all water channels at the beginning of every rainy season.
He said a total of 98.589 hectares have been desilted covering an area of 31.798 and 66.761 of potential floodable hotspots around the intervention site.
The Governor applauded the Gombe State ACReSAL for the intervention and efforts in environmental management and conservation.
Earlier in a welcome remark, the Commissioner of Water, Environment and Forest Resources, Mohammed Saidu Fawu said the exercise was in response to mitigate flooding in the state metropolis.
He commended the state Governor for providing the needed support for the Ministry and other agencies like the Gombe State Environmental Sanitation and Protection Agency (GOSEPA) to manage and conserve the environment.
In his remarks, the Gombe State ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Dr. Sani Adamu Jauro urged the communities to reciprocate the huge investment being carried out by the Project by keeping away from practices like dumping refuse in storm drains and indiscriminate felling of trees which are harmful to the environment.
In their separate goodwill messages, the commissioner of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperative, Dr. Barnabas Musa Malle, Executive Secretary of GOSEPA, Dr. Auwalu Baba Jada, and the Acting Senior District Head of Gombe thanked ACReSAL for the intervention and advised people to support the project.
