Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state has lamented that 36% of the state landmass is being threatened by active gully erosion.
The governor added that the state which boasts of almost 100% arable land is fast losing her lands and forests, with colossal loss of lives, properties and critical infrastructure due to gully erosion and flood, occasioned by climate change.
A release by the public relations officer, Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) Anambra state chapter, Emeka Achebe, said Obiano disclosed this at a just concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference, tagged COP25 in Madrid, Spain, where he was represented by state coordinator of NEWMAP, Michael Ivenso and Jide Ikeako of Anambra state Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA).
The release added that at the event, the governor in partnership with the NEWMAP, unveiled the climate change resilience campaign titled Save Our Landscape (SOL), an innovative land reclamation programme replete with components of afforestation, climate smart agriculture, awareness, sensitisation and capacity enhancement achievable through partnerships, collaborations, funding and technology supports from global climate change community.
Sources said that during the Anambra sideline event, Dr Salisu Dahiru, the National Project Coordinator for NEWMAP, decried that “Climate change impacts across Nigeria are evidenced in several dimensions, depending on the region. Impacts of intense rainfall leading to flooding and erosion are felt in over 12 of the 36 sates of the nation but it is most severe in Anambra state.”
