The Kano State Government has said that plans are underway to provide more water conservation structures and minor irrigation facilities in some local government areas of the state.
Commissioner for Environment, Dr Kabiru Getso, made this known at a press conference to commemorate the World Environment Day in Kano.
He said that the aim of the conservation structures is to conserve the environment from hazards.
According to him, “We have earlier embarked on the construction of a conservation structure at Yan Sabo in Tofa local government area, and it has reached about 95 per cent completion.
“We have also constructed minor irrigation facilities at the same area to engage the people in environmental conservation.”
Dr Getso noted that the new structures would be provided at Danbazau/Fajewa in Takai area, Yar Titi in Shanono and Dawan Kaya in Makoda local governments respectively.
The Ganduje administration, he said, had committed to providing a healthier and cleaner environment since inception.
The Commissioner, however, revealed that efforts are underway to provide major erosion control measures at Rarin Karas in Dawakin Tofa, Bubula/Gayawa in Nassarawa and Kauyen Alu in Tarauni local government areas.
Getso highlighted that the state had committed to evacuation of waste, and it recently desilted about 70,000 linear meters of drains between April and May 2022.
In a related development, QNET, a global e-commerce based direct selling company, has called for accelerated action to tackle climate change impacts that are affecting developing countries such as Nigeria.
QNET’s Regional General Manager, Mr Biram Fall, for Sub-Saharan Africa, said this in a statement on Sunday, June 5, in Lagos.
Fall said that much of Africa has already warmed by more than 1 °C since 1901, with an increase in heatwaves and hot days.
He said according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, in the drought-prone sub-Saharan African countries, the number of undernourished people has increased by 45.6 per cent since 2012.
He added that the same body reported that a reduction in mean agricultural yield of 13 per cent is projected in West and Central Africa, 11 per cent in North Africa, and eight per cent in East and Southern Africa, under the worst-case climate change scenario.
On the economic front, the African Climate Policy Centre projects that the Gross Domestic Product in the five African subregions would suffer a significant decrease as a result of a global temperature increase.
For scenarios ranging from a 1°C to a 4°C increase in global temperatures relative to pre-industrial levels, the continent’s overall GDP is expected to decrease by 2.25 per cent to 12.12 per cent.
The QNET’s Regional General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa said: “It is evident that the time to act on climate change is now, and that every stakeholder must do their part.
“This is all the more important if we are to safeguard the gains made in developing Nigeria and Africa at large, while maintaining the momentum.”
Mr Fall added: “At QNET, we simply believe that it is the right thing to do and has adopted environmental sustainability as a key pillar of our business operations.
“We call upon all and sundry to join hands to accelerate actions and initiatives designed to reverse the trend.
“In line with this, we have implemented a number of initiatives that directly and indirectly contribute to creating a more sustainable environment,” he said.
Fall said: “We partnered with EcoMatcher to launch the Green Legacy Initiative in 2021, with the goal of planting at least 10,000 trees by the end of 2022.
“Currently, we have planted 3,000 trees, spread across the Philippines, Kenya and the UAE, with plans to expand to more countries including Nigeria.”
He said that beyond external partnerships and projects, QNET had committed to making its operations more sustainable.
