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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSday, march 12, 2015
Mother Earth NGO plans public sanitation with 500 volunteers
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o fewer than 500 people have volunteered to participate in a sanitation scheduled for Ketu in Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area. Organised by the Cleanup Nigeria Initiative, a NonGovernmental Organisation, the event was tagged Cleanup Ketu. The NGO Coordinator, Mr Alex Akhigbe, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the exercise is aimed at working towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) number seven, which is “Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.’’ He said the exercise, “Cleanup Ketu,’’ would involve 500 volunteers, who have passion for the environment, to clean up the environment and create a changed attitude towards the environment. “The Clean Up Nigeria Initiative is a project of Passion House International, a non-profit social enterprise, with core focus on waste management, communityled sanitation and youth development. “This is borne out of the need to promote a cleaner and healthier environment and aimed at reducing the high rate of mortality. “The event will create a platform for people to give back to the community as their personal social responsibility towards keeping the environment clean and green,’’ he said. NAN reports that previous editions of the exercise were Cleanup Ajegunle in December 2010, Cleanup Mushin in March 2011, Cleanup Amukoko in June 2011 and Cleanup Surulere in June 2011. Others are Cleanup Oshodi in December 2012, Project Clean and Recycle in December 2013, and Cleanup Makoko in June 2014. Akhigbe told NAN that a free medical check-up and Green Certificate would be given to all the volunteers after the exercise. The Cleanup Ketu Project is in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change, Green Alliances, and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).
NOA partners group on environmental health to forestall hazards
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he National Orientation Agency (NOA) has said that it would partner with the Halima Factor Community Initiate (HFCI) to curtail community hazard arising from environmental and health issues. Mr David Dogo, Director, Orientation and Peace Education, made the disclosure at the commencement of the environmental and health campaign in Kabusa, FCT. The campaign which is in collaboration with the HFCI has the theme, ``I stand out for a clean and healthy environment’’. Dogo said that it was important for Nigerians to take care of their environment in order to avert any act capable of affecting their health.
“When you take care of your environment, it will in turn take care of you as the environment does not forgive if you offend it, it will fight back,’’ he said. He noted that the flood of 2012/2013 that caused serious damage in the country was as a result of neglect of the environment. The director said that Nigerians should work hard to prevent a repeat of the incident. Dogo urged Nigerians to work for the wellness of the environment, adding that the NOA had done a lot in creating environmental awareness through its ``Do the Right Thing campaign”. He commended the HFCI, adding that it was high time Nigerians took responsibility in
contributing their quota to the system. Dogo assured stakeholders of the sustainability of the project, noting that NOA would partner with HFCI to address environment and health issues. The founder of HFCI, Halima Usman, said the group was poised to rid Abuja communities of environmental pollution inimical to the health of the residents through its campaign. Halima said that the people’s health could only be secure where their environment was secure, adding that there was need to be a responsible Nigerian by being alive to the environment. She said that HFCI choose Kabusa as the starting point because it was littered with all
forms of dirt that were dangerous to their health. She said that the initiative would ensure a free and healthy environment. HFCI is an initiative that helps members of a community to identify their problems relating to health, education and environment, while also proffering solutions and executing them. The Chief of Kabusa village, Mr Yohanna Kocha, called for assistance from well meaning Nigerians for the sustainability of the initiative. He called for the provision of vehicles that could help the community in disposing its refuse in designated areas instead of indiscriminate dumping. (NAN)
Residents affected by flood fled flood prone areas in Lokoja, Kogi state.
Wetland restoration can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions – Report
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estoration of wetlands can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is shown in a report that has been written in part by researchers from the University of Gothenburg. Former wetlands that have been drained and which are currently used for forestry and agriculture give off 11.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. That can be compared with Sweden’s total emissions of 57.6 million tons (when the land use sector is not included). But in Sweden’s report to the Climate Convention, emissions from drained peatland are not visible since they are included with forest
growth. The report Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from Peatland shows that drained peatlands should be restored into wetlands so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies of greenhouse gas emissions from drained peatlands that are used for forestry production show that nutrient-rich, well-drained areas of land release more greenhouse gases than nutrientpoor, wetter grounds do. “The report states that some three percent of Sweden’s land area is drained peatland and it discusses which of these areas should be rectified in the first
instance,” said Åsa Kasimir, researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg. She is one of the authors of the report which was published this year. The report has been produced by the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket), the Swedish Forest Agency (Skogsstyrelsen), the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF), Stockholm University and the University of Gothenburg. Restoring drained ground
to wetland reduces the release of both carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from the ground. Although the release of methane will increase in the long term, the decrease of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide will be greater which means that, all in all, greenhouse gas emissions from the ground will be reduced. “Because a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is now urgently needed, restoring wetlands is an effective environmental measure,” said Åsa Kasimir. Source: Environmental News Network (ENN)