NAN-AE-8
Disasters
Calabar, Oct. 26, 2017 (NAN) The Cross River Commissioner for Environment, Mr Mike Eraye, on Thursday urged the residents to cultivate positive attitudes that would promote efforts to tackle ecological challenges facing the state.
Eraye gave the advice during the inspection/audit of ecological sites in Calabar by a team of officials from the ministry and the Ecological Fund Office.
He noted that ecological issues were not constant but dynamic, adding, however, that the state government was determined to tackle the environmental problems of the state.
He decried the high incidence of gully erosion in some parts of the state, saying that this was as a result of mining activities.
“Where we saw gully erosions before has now witnessed some expansion.
“More than 60 percent of the ecological challenges facing us are man-made due to excavation of sand and latrite as well as indiscriminate dumping of waste at river banks,’’ he said.
He cautioned the people against engaging in activities that were capable of degrading the environment, particularly improper disposal of waste.
The commissioner urged the residents to adhere strictly to environmental laws of the state, especially before embarking on the development of structures.
Also speaking, Mr Robert Etu, the Director of Flood and Erosion Department in the Ministry, said there were deliberate efforts by the State Government to divert water from Channel Two to Channel One to link River Qua at Akpabuyo.
He said that the project was to prevent some houses in Calabar from being inundated during rains. (NAN)
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