Environment

Mount Everest Tragedy Death Toll Hits 13

Published

12 years ago

April 23, 2014

Rescuers recovered
the body of one mountain guide last Saturday for the death toll to rise to 13 after an ice avalanche swept the lower slopes of Mount Everest.
The accident has been described as the deadliest accident on the world’s highest mountain.
The avalanche had struck a perilous passage called the Khumbu Icefall, which was riddled with crevasses and piled with serac or huge chunks of ice which could break free without warning.
“We were tied on a rope and carrying gas to camp, there was a sudden ‘hrrrr’ sound,” said Kami Sherpa, 25, one of at least three survivors flown by helicopter to Kathmandu.
Sherva, who is in a hospital intensive care unit receiving treatment for a blood clot on his leg and facial injuries, said we knew it was an avalanche but we couldn’t run away or do anything. There was a big chunk of snow that fell over us and swept us away. It looked like clouds, all white.”
Climbers declared a four-day halt to efforts to scale the 8,848-metre (29,029-ft) summit.
But, while some decided to abandon their mission, others said they would go ahead after talking to their guides.
All of the victims were sherpa mountain guides.
“Everyone is shaken here at Base Camp. Some climbers are packing up and calling it quits, they want nothing to do with this,” Tim Rippel of Peak Freaks Expeditions .
Shocked relatives wondered how they would cope without the men who take huge risks to earn up to $5,000 for a two-month expedition – around 10 times average annual pay in Nepal.
“He was the only breadwinner in the family,” said 17-year-old Phinjum Sherpa, as she waited for the body of her uncle, Tenji Sherpa, at a Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu.
“We have no one to take care of us.”
Although relatively low on the mountain, climbers say the icefall is one of the most dangerous places on Mount Everest.
There are no safer paths along the famous South Col route scaled by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
Around 100 climbers and guides had already passed beyond the Khumbu Icefall to prepare their attempts on the summit.
They are safe, but a new path will have to be made to make it possible to continue the expeditions.
Rippel said his sherpas had lucky escapes, two returned to base camp five minutes before the avalanche hit.
He added that two were briefly trapped above the avalanche but managed to make their way down.
Officials said one body had been recovered in Saturday’s rescue effort, leaving three sherpas still missing.

Environment

NSE Inauguates 18 Units Residential Terrace In Lagos

Published

2 weeks ago

December 22, 2025

The Tide

President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.

The project, located on Nurudeen Olowopopo Drive, is a partnership between the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), Messrs Locke Homes Ltd and NSE Ventures Ltd (NSEVL).

NSEVL is the business arm of the Society.

Oguntala said the turning the sod ceremony of the joint development of the NSEVL- LSDPC-LOCKE HOMES JV Construction Project marked a milestone for the Society.

She added that it also showed NSE’s collective commitment to sustainable infrastructure and housing development in Lagos State and Nigeria at large.

She said the project was part of the deliberate efforts of NSE to contribute meaningfully to addressing the perennial challenge of housing deficit in Nigeria.

“We recognise that housing is a critical component of national development, economic growth, and social stability.

“This development is only the beginning of plans by the Nigerian Society of Engineers in the housing and real estate sector,” she said.

The president called on government at all levels, private sector stakeholders, and development partners to continue to support housing initiatives towards collectively achieving sustainable urban development.

Oguntala thanked the Lagos State Government for the opportunity to be part of the ongoing infrastructure revolution in the state.

“We are particularly grateful for the allocation of this plot, which has made this project possible.

“This gesture underscores the confidence reposed in the engineering profession and our capacity to deliver projects of enduring value,” she said.

She also commended the board and management of NSE Ventures Ltd, LSDPC and Locke Homes, for their dedication, professionalism and tireless efforts in bringing the vision to reality.

According to her, the groundbreaking ceremony is the result of strategic collaboration, perseverance and shared commitment to excellence.

She urged the development company and all professionals involved in the project to ensure compliance to highest standards at every stage of the project, from design and construction through to completion.

“Quality, safety, sustainability and adherence to best engineering practices must remain our guiding principles,” she said.

Mr Olufemi Dosumu, Chairman NSE Ventures Ltd. thanked the NSE President for her unwavering support, especially during the difficult period of resolving the land title document.

Dosumu also commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who continues to drive the reforms that position Lagos as a peaceful Centre of Excellence.

“Business can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and stability.

“We appeal to governments at all levels to ensure that safety of lives and property is guaranteed for all citizens,” he said.

He also thanked their partners and commended foresight of past leaders of NSEVL who acquired the land about 30 years ago.

He said the NSEVL was established in 1989 as an investment arm of the NSE to identify and promote business opportunities for the benefit of the Society.

He said the project would break barriers, create jobs, foster skills, and inspire young minds to aim for the best, ultimately contributing to the growth of the nation.

Gboyega Fatimiehin, Chief executive Officer, Locke Homes Ltd., the developers giving a scope of the project, said it is a terrace of 18 units of totally residential accommodation with a 30-month completion period.

Fatimiehin added that the facility would have a swimming pool, a gym, parking space, CCTV, steady power and water supply, among others.

Environment

FG Launched 1 GOV Digital Content System In Nigeria

Published

2 weeks ago

December 22, 2025

The Tide

Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.

The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.

According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.

Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.

She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.

Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.

She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.

“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.

She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.

In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.

She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.

Environment

Usamali Builds Oil Communities’ Resilience against Environmental Degradation

Published

2 weeks ago

December 22, 2025

The Tide

The impact of oil exploration activities and climate change have continued to devastate the Niger Delta of Nigeria, with oil bearing communities in parts of the region, such as the Orashi area in Rivers State, suffering the harsh impact of these activities.

Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.

In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation

The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.

Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.

The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.

Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.

Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities

Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.

She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”

Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.

The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.

“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.

Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”

Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.