PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013
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Mother Earth Red Cross braces for flooding in Nigeria
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hen floods hit Nigeria in 2012, communities in several states were caught unprepared. It was the worst flooding the country had experienced in 40 years, affecting 7 million people. They simply did not know how to cope. The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has spent the past eight months working with communities to ensure they are better prepared should the 2013 rainy season result in the same kind of flooding. Javier Barrera, IFRC country representative in Nigeria said: “We have achieved a lot over the past nine months, helping families get back on their feet,” adding “However, there is still work to do and people remain vulnerable as they have not fully recovered. With the 2013 rainy season now underway, the situation could quickly deteriorate.” To keep that from happening, the Red Cross has pre-positioned emergency stocks in two warehouses to support 750 families. Staff and volunteers are working with communities to identify hazards and etermine together how best to mitigate them. And 100 households in three communities in Kogi State are being assisted in the rebuilding of their homes. “We are using construction techniques that are familiar to the local population, which means they will be able to maintain them,” said Nwakpa O. Nwakpa, NRCS
spokesperson. “However, we have improved on these local techniques, and the end result will be housing that is stronger and more resilient to the forces of nature. We hope to be able to replicate these techniques
support 50,000 people through the end of 2013. Aside from the provision of emergency relief items, 140 Red Cross volunteers were trained in health and hygiene promotion.
10 states,” said Umar Abdu Mairiga, NRCS head of programmes. “This was followed up with health and hygiene promotion messages to more than 22,000
NRCS head of health and care. The Nigerian Red Cross Society, with its network of communitybased volunteers, was the first to respond when the floods first took hold, and it will be the last
people on a range of issues, including the prevention of malaria and diarrhoea, oral rehydration, maintenance of water sources and latrines, and the importance of hand washing,” said Dr Uche Ogba,
to leave. Today, with the support of the IFRC, it remains the only humanitarian agency still in the field assisting those affected by the 2012 floods Source: allAfrica
Houses submerged by floog, last year in Lokoja, Kogi State in other states across the country.” Last year’s flooding sent thousands of families running for the safety of higher ground. The Red Cross launched an appeal, and recently revised that appeal to
“Knowing the health hazards associated with flooding of this nature, we distributed more than 131,000 water purification tablets to improve households’ access to clean and safe drinking water in
FOA to assist Nigeria MDAs on environment, disaster mgt. By Mohammed Kandi
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ood and Agriculture Organisation (FOA) has expressed its enthusiasm to partner with some key Nigerian Ministries, Departments, Agencies including other relevant
Non-government Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on improved Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) and emergency management. This is contend in a memorandum submitted at the 40th meeting of the National
Arewa council earmarks N16m for 2 bore holes in Kebbi
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he Arewa Local Government Area in Kebbi State has earmarked N16 million for the drilling of two motorised bore holes in the area, the Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Tanko, has said. Tanko told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recently in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi state capital that the bore holes would be sited in Kangiwa and Gumundai. He said each bore hole would cost N8 million, including the cost of drilling, generating plant and construction of 5, 000 litre tank. According to him, the project would be completed in August and is meant to provide clean, hygienic and safe drinking water to the residents.
The chairman added that the council had spent N7 million to renovate the Kangiwa town hall and equipped it with computers, television sets and Internet facilities. On agriculture, Tanko said that the local government had procured 50 tonnes of fertiliser for sale to farmers at the subsidised cost of N1, 700 per bag. He assured that the council would closely monitor the distribution of the commodity at the polling units to guard against diversion. The chairman commended the state government for the prompt release of money to the council for the execution of projects that would touch the lives of the populace. (NAN)
Council on Agriculture and Rural Development in Abeokuta, Ogun State, recently, which is apprising Council of the articulation of the FAO-Nigeria Country Programme Framework (CPF) for implementation from 2013-2017. The CPF, the document stated, is to “work in Nigeria through partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv), National Planning Commission (NPC)
and other relevant stakeholders that included State Ministries of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SMANR), Non-government Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and prominent Development Partners.” The document included as part of FOA’s support as sustainable management of natural resources and mitigating effects of climatechange in the country. “This intends to enhance the capacities of national institutions and communities in selected
States in sustainable and integrated management practices and the use of natural resources— land, water, forestry,” it stressed. There is the need for “promotion of appropriate practices, guidelines, tools and methodologies; development and implementation of policies and regulatory frameworks; undertaking of community based forest management programmes; provision of support for updating land use classification and maps; and the development of monitoring and reporting system for forest resources.”
Continental forum looks at wetlands mgt in Rwanda By Mohammed Kandi, with agency report
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he Rwandan ministry of natural resources together with the Ramsar convention, an intergovernmental treaty for wetland management, is holding a 5-day international forum on wetlands management with a theme “Wise use, smart plans.” The forum, which is ongoing in the country, has brought together environment experts from around Africa to discuss and explore ways for better wetland management in the face of human needs for development, food and water security. Rwanda’s minister of Natural
Resources, Stanislas Kamanzi, indicated that the forum, which started on Monday and ends on Friday, “will be an opportunity to exchange ideas on how to overcome challenges to biodiversity.” Kenneth Ervine, Professor of aquatic systems at UNESCO’s Institute of Water Education, said that wetlands are facing management problems and are under degradation and urged people to use them sustainably. “Globally, wetlands are in decline while they are of huge importance,” he said. Ervine observed that challenges including poor management, overfishing, drainage mainly for food purposes, and stressed the importance
of striking a balance between food production and long-term opportunities offered by the presence of wetlands. He also mentioned that one of the hindrances on effective wetland management is non-observation of international conventions by some African countries. “We need to have a change of mind and create means for implementation of policies,” he said. Emphasizing the importance of wetlands, Anada Tiega, the secretary general of Ramsar convention, said that they are a natural infrastructure and constitute an asset for life thanks to their capacity of water conservation and food production.