DAILY TRUST
Thursday, August 11, 2011
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EU commits 40m euros to Nigeria's water sector THE Europqn Union (EUl has given Nigeria 40 nlUl ion Euros for the development of the wafer SKlor, Specifically, water supply. Minister of Watl."r Rciources, Sarah Ochekpt said the monty was given 10 Nigl."ria because the EU 15 imprcssed with Ihe way previous granu were judiCiOUsly
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Klyode Fayemi w~ visited htt In Abuja. She assur~ FI)'\'ffii that Elc.lli Slate would bt: one of the bendkiaries of the grams, adding Ihal all on-going water proJKIS In the Siaic undulaken by the Fedc~1 Government would becompleled..
According 10 her, over N-iOOmlilion has
lIftn appropriated in the ya.rs budget for the continuation of work at Ogbese Dim and the comractual cost of the dam was ovef Nsbillion.
The mlnlile( made this known whde playing hrullo the Governor orlliti Start,
She said the muJI)-purpose Owen. Dam buill by lhe Fcde~ _Govemmenl would
O n his p.1rl. doe go\'l:'rnor gid Ihere ~re abandoned wale,' projKl1i ill his ~Ialr; he also called forthcrlevampingofthe Bl."nin. Owena River Basin Oe\'dopmcnl AUlhur· il y. Headvfsed Ihu project should be: moni· lored RgUlarly 10 avoid Caiel of abandon· ment. Fayemi said hlsgovemmenl would pro· Vide 80 per cent'" at<!r coveragl." to Ihe stale, bo::ausegood governMlce woUlht main rca~ son for his d«tion as gow:rnor.
provide potable water supply and irrigation to D ndo and Eltili dtluns and iJ ap«ted to be commissioned by the Vice President,
Namadl Sambo on September 29. She lipokc on the need for partlltrship between the slale and the ftdcral government in order 10 mccl the waler nreds of Nigeria. £vIicr.-GovEmor Fayeml hid descrlbtt.l mostofthc water prnjtcts embarked upon by thE Federal GOVErnment lind otJu~r DevdopmEnt Partners in IhE Illite u bdng "dtcrcpil and obsolt1E.."
KV{ara govt cautions on dumping of refuse fnaaMustm ............ COMMISSIONER for EnvimnmEnt and Forestry In Kwara StaTe, Hon. Sam· uel Barnis.haye hu called on people in the state to com· plemenl government efrorls by nOI dumping refu se in drainages in order to ensure II ~Cl ean and Green~ cnvi· rOnrntnL
The commissionu mlldt the .call during his visil to the r~'l." nt nood disasler ar~;iI)d illegal dump5it~ in lIorin melropolis. H.. said indiscriminatE dumpingof refust> inlo gutters and drainages hi d pre· vented easy now or water v,oh lc h led 10 Ihe recent 1l00d dlWltr In some paris of llorin. He asked people to always clear drainage and debris In Iheir viclnilies 10 pn-vmt the spate ofioss of livcs':lnd p~rtics being experiEnced in most parts of the country. He also disclosed that environmentalists rmm the ministry of Environ· ment and rorestry have been moblliud 10 check lnd.i5crimlnate dwnping of refuse and aJllMse found wanting would be pros·
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HE said ~re wUl be coIlaboralion with aU stakcholdtnl 10 And wt· ing solutions 10 the problem of flood disaster in the Statl." and urged the people to partner with the govern· ment in all fronu by ~ep ing a dtan and healthy environment in ordtr to curb tbe effects of dlmale change.
Deforestation threatens GC)mbe lNCREASED ClISC'S ordeforestalion. trOSionsand other Environ menIal degradation are fast Ihreatening to tum Combe Slale into In acid zone, an environmentalist Danjuma Sidi BaJa said.. Speaking to neWimen during I tree planting ampaign cun:ist hC'tmbarktd on in conjunction with the stale Stile Primary education BomI, Sidl said 65'16 ohhc: stilI." forest re5t'fVt h.ave aJrtady
go ne due to incessant removal oilTees In tw~nty 10 engage In trtt planti ng a Cfl.l5.J Ihe prilllary nine dirferenllocations In Ihl." forest.. schools. <lnd urging tht younger gcn~rnlion 10 This according to him has rauhed in 40 to 45 itnblb.: the cullurc in .,rder for Ihcm 10 under· range of defosutation recorded annually alo ng 5(l1nd Its bendi l and constquencC$. with Sully erosion and ozone Layer depletion in Hetaskcd Ihcgovernm.efllal 10 urgenllytn3CI lhe state. a kgiilation that will ensure Environmmtal nanMost worrisoml." according to him, Is the near ' agmlml education in the Slale, make r~anm.1 tOlal InabUity of the slate and local government of cut tlft:S compulsory and streamllne ptnal10 cm~1t on any tR'C plantlngand rdated am· lies fordefaultm 10 mabie It IlTCSIthc silualiun J*I~,...thcrd?y forong concrmtd stakeholders before i~g~;Qw.ofhl!l"-
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NOA flags off campaign against polythene bags in Owerri
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cause of prtsCnl Hooding disaster ravlging the Nigman society. Ac.conIil18 to him, polythcnc bags Ire the 11iE NaUonai Orientation Agmcy (NOA) lmo major waste lbat blods the dralnages and pre· SUIe, has' formally naacd off Its campaign to vml water from pusing. rid the environmEnt o(the menace of polythene EItcocha pointed that if the menace contino bags In Owerd UtI, if mlghtlcad to the stoppage of produclion Stlte OirectoroftheAgency Mr.Vltus Ekeo· of sachet waiu In the slale. cha spealtlng durlnglhe exercise carried oUlln The NO}! boss regretted Ihe Ind:5Ctimlnate Owerri the capital. urged resldenls of the stale . way peqple liller the environment wllh polyto dispose: all poIythene bags at Ihe appm2!fa!e"~:lt~en~e tI~he~ t.han~tth~ right placts so that platt. - • ,. : irC9Uldl*:C¥deCltoibitppropriateplace. He said polytbene bags have bc:com(strf,,;- ~' :"~:Dilft:to; ~NitlonaJ Environmental Standous problems to the ,oelcey. attributing it.J~Jhe aras- · Iod · ~ulation Enforcl."ment Agency
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(NESREA), SoUth-Hit zone, Mr..Ruaq Ashiru stressed the neal for e~ryon;: to have dusl bin In their houses where the polythenc bag can be: dropped rather lhan on Ibe Slrtd$. He said lhat the prestnt day flooding and erosion menKe witnessed In lbe counlry is due 10 b.lockage ofthedralnageSY$ltm by polythcne
bags. While calling on the people of Owerri 10 endeavour 10 be part of malr:Jng th e environment d ea n, he appeal~ to both driven and restau JDlI operators 10 provide a wastepaper bask£! to reservt tbt polythene biBS arter for sale to pto ' wbo can buy them for m:ycling. •