Anambra State Government is to enact laws that will compel every household in the state to be actively involved in environmental protection to achieve a clean, green and sustainable Anambra State.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo disclosed this during a town hall meeting on environmental sustainability held at Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka to commemorate 2023 World Earth Day celebration.
Governor Soludo represented by the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim noted that preservation of the environment is everybody’s responsibility and urged the people to take sanitation as their own responsibility by keeping it clean.
Governor Soludo told the gathering that his administration places priority on environmental sanitation and has desilted drainages in Okpoko and other places as well as cleared waste litred in the streets to keep Anambra State clean.
The Governor observed that most environmental degradation is caused by people who litter the environment with refuse waiting for government to evacuate them.
He revealed that his administration is collaborating with national and international agencies to checkmate environmental problems.
In his remarks,the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Felix Odimegwu explained that the occasion was designed to uncover factors responsible for erosion menace in the state and ways to tackle them to guarantee a clean, green and sustainable environment in Anambra State.
In his paper presentation titled “Safe and Sustainable Waste Management in communities: the best practice”, a resource person, Mr. Adeleye Odebumi called on Anambra State Government to adopt value chain approach to waste management by creating more agencies for waste collection, recycling and creat an incentive base for people who are generating waste for businesses that will be within the environment sector .
Speaking on Erosion/Flood Menace in Anambra, causes, prevention and remediation:A call for community participation”, Professor Leo Muoghalu identified bad land use management,poor Planning of urbanisation,bush burning, deforestation, among others as factors responsible for erosion menace in Anambra State.
He called on the people to change their behaviour towards the environment by desistimg from acts causing erosion,while government should create a centre of research for erosion and flood related issues to arrest the ugly trend.
In his paper presentation titled ” Deforestation and its consequences on the Ecosystem: the need for tree planting, conservation and face lifting”, another speaker, Professor Peter Nnabude regretted that deforestation has caused so many erosion challenges in Anambra State,which he said has reduced the productivity of its land,stressing that to arrest deforestation, government should create agro-forestry trees with crops to maintain stability of lands while the people must stop deforestation and plant trees in erosion prone areas to restore the environment.
On his part,Mr. Chinonso Agbo who spoke on “Taking Ownership:Community Participation Approach’ explained that Anambra State Government can achieve its policy for environment by enacting laws that will drive its environmental policies,such as laws for eco-friendly insfrastructure,tax for use of generating sets,which he said will encourage people to go for clean energy alternatives to safeguard the environment.
The occasion also featured a panel discussion on the theme of the ceremony which is ” Clean, Green and Sustainable Anambra State”, where the Managing Director of Lagos Waste Management Authority, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni who lauded the efforts of Anambra State Government towards achieving a clean, green and sustainable environment in Anambra State revealed that the State government is in partnership with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority to achieve their environmental policies.
The occasion was graced by Traditional Rulers, Transition Chairmen of various local governments in the state, town union leaders, women groups, students among others.
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