Erosion: Anambra Pays N500m Counterpart Fund

The Federal Government has
received N500m from Anambra State as counterpart fund earmarked for erosion control in the state.
It said Anambra was seriously faced with erosion problems and the deposited sum was to hasten the completion of erosion control projects being undertaken in state.
The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, disclosed this at the ministry’s headquarters while playing host to the Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Willie Obiano.
She said, “Anambra has deposited N500m counterpart fund with the Federal Government to tackle erosion in the state. We want other states to do same. This year we have 18 projects earmarked for Anambra and in 2013, 13 projects were done in the state.”
In his remarks, the state governor said his government was partnering with the Federal Government and the World Bank to control erosion, and urged the other two parties to fulfill their commitment in the partnership.
Obiano said, “We have paid the N500m and it is to be used purely for erosion control. Currently,  the Anambra State government with the federal ministry of environment and the World Bank are working on 11 erosion sites and we are adding eight more.
“All these require money for their completion. We’ve put in our initial counterpart contribution and we are looking forward to the other parties meeting their own side of the deal. We really would like to do things before the rain starts coming in deluge because that is the only way we can stem this tide early.”
He said the government was also sensitising citizens of the state on the activities that promote erosion.
“There is need for sensitisation, as bush burning, blocking of drainage systems, cutting down trees and a lot more similar activities can lead to erosion. As we sensitise the people, we have also put a law in place to ensure enforcement. The law helps in the very near future to begin to steer the tide in our favour with respect to having a firm control on erosion management in the state,” Obiano added.