NEMA North West Zonal office has participated at the flag-off ceremony of the 160 kilometers drainage desilting to mitigate flooding across some major metropolis in Kaduna.
The exercise which was organized by the World Bank-supported Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) is expected to cover Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan Metropolis.
The Zonal Coordinator Abbani Imam Garki was represented by the Head of Unit, Disaster Risk Reduction (Unit), Ikramat Umar during the event held in Mando Road, along Air Force base, Kaduna
The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Abubakar Buba, who flagged-off the exercise in Kaduna and witnessed encouraging presence of respective critical stakeholders in emergency and disaster management.
The Commissioner said the exercise was designed to be conducted across the three Senatorial Districts of the state ahead of the rainy season, saying, the drainages needed to be evacuated to allow free flow of water and prevent floods beginning with Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria metropolises.
He lamented “As you may be aware, most drainages in major towns in the state have been taken over by refuse, sand plastics and other debris. As part of our proactive measures under the ACReSAL project, we want to clear them and ensure that the rain flows seamlessly into major drains and into River Kaduna
On his part, ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Mr Jibril Dahiru, said that the effort was part of the project’s strategies to prevent erosion, land degradation and mitigate climate change.
Dahiru explained that ACReSAL was designed to address the menace of gully erosion and land degradation. Pointing to the fact that relevant agencies like NEMA and NIMET have already warned of impending heavy downpours.
He went on to appeal to residents to support the state government’s efforts in managing the environment.
However, Ikramat Mu’azu, Principal Disaster Risk Reduction Officer, NEMA stated disaster management remained a collective task for all stakeholders.
Mu’azu also urged residents of the state to ensure that they take proactive measures to avert the disaster in their communities in other to save lives and properties.
24:06:2024.
