Commissioner worried over refusal to leave flood prone areas By KENNETH DAKOP COMMISSIONER for Environment, Plateau State, Hon. Sarah Yusuf has frowned at the recalcitrance on the part of some residents of the state capital, Jos, to relocate from flood prone areas in spite of repeated public enlightenment campaign by authorities concern. Yusuf, who was visibly dismayed at the magnitude of destruction caused by the flood, promptly identified and attributed the remote causes to “human activities such as the dumping of refuse in drainages and the deliberate erection of residential buildings along water ways,” despite continuous media campaign to create desired awareness and sensitization against those harmful practices. Places affected by the flood, penultimate Friday, include Jenta/Apata, Alheri, AngwanRogo, as well as, Angwan Soya all situated in Jos North Local government Area of Plateau State. The environment commissioner who was accompanied on the inspection tour by her counterpart in the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Mallam Idi Waziri and Management staff of both Ministries. While addressing people affected by the flood in all the areas visited, Hon. Yusuf advised them to “heed to the warning by avoiding dumping their rubbish in water ways and move away from building houses along river banks and water ways.” On the need for the Plateau State government to enact a legislation that would stipulate punitive measures for defaulters of environmental regulation, Yusuf observed that “the problem was not that of a law to check these practices as it has more to do with people’s negative attitude towards their environment. Speaking with newsmen during the inspection, the ward head of Jenta/Apata, Da Dachung Botagwong lamented that the flood had ravaged most parts of the area thereby dislocating many facilities from their residences even as he made a passionate appeal to the Plateau State Government to come to their aid as the disaster, if left unchecked, would trigger an epidemic. Meanwhile, at TapolLorin Community in Heipang District of Barkin-Ladi Local government Area, the commissioner commiserated with people affected by a rainstorm which devastated farmlands and houses, stressing that the state government, through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) would explore means of alleviating their predicament. Also speaking, the management Committee Chairman of Barkin-Ladi LGA, Hon. Emmanuel Loman expressed concern at the havoc caused by the rainstorm in the community saying, “it is most unfortunate that this is happening on the heels of a recent attack on the community by suspected Fulani herdsmen where some members of the community, were murdered in cold blood.” Hon. Loman used the medium to appeal to the state government to as a matter of urgency, come to the aid of the affected community, as according to him,” the level of destruction as you can see in this community is beyond what the local government council could handle single handedly”. However, one of the victims who suffered some degree of burns when lightning struck his house during the rainstorm, Pam Chollom Dung told THE NIGERIA STANDARD that he attributed his survival to divine intervention. Our correspondent observed that most of the farmlands and economic trees in the community, in addition to houses were completely destroyed by the rainstorm.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 10:03:37 +0000
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