Yemi Kosoko in Jos
The World Bank and the Federal Government have superior plans to implement 20 Strategic Catchment Management Plans (SCMPs) throughout 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a part of efforts to fight environmental degradation, strengthen local weather resilience and safe Nigeria’s water sources for future generations.
Speaking on the Stakeholders’ Engagement for the Implementation of Strategic Catchment Management Plans, World Bank Task Team Leader and Senior Environmental Specialist, Dr. Joy Iganya Agene, described ACReSAL as essentially a catchment administration mission designed to advertise built-in panorama administration past state and political boundaries.
Agene mentioned the plans signify the primary government-led watershed administration initiative undertaken at such scale in Nigeria and would supply a blueprint for sustainable administration of land, water and environmental sources.
According to her, environmental and hydrological methods are interconnected, making collaboration amongst states and communities important for long-term sustainability.
“What you do upstream affects what happens downstream. There are no state limits when it comes to water resources and environmental management,” she mentioned, urging stakeholders to embrace a shared imaginative and prescient for defending the atmosphere.
She additionally introduced that the World Bank had accredited an extra $500 million financing bundle for ACReSAL over the subsequent 4 years, bringing whole funding for the programme to about $1.2 billion, to make sure sustainability of ongoing investments and interventions.
Presenting the implementation overview of the Aloma-Konshisha Strategic Catchment Management Plan, Managing Director of MECON Geology and Engineering Services Ltd, Chuka Offodile, mentioned the catchment spans Benue, Kogi, Cross River, Ebonyi and Enugu States and faces growing threats from flooding, deforestation, erosion, land degradation and water air pollution.
He disclosed that forest cowl within the catchment declined considerably between 2017 and 2024, whereas agricultural enlargement and settlement progress continued to position strain on ecosystems and water sources.
Offodile mentioned the plan seeks to revive degraded landscapes, strengthen water sources administration, promote climate-smart agriculture, enhance livelihoods and improve catastrophe preparedness via coordinated interventions involving governments, improvement companions and communities.
He famous that profitable implementation would enhance water safety, enhance agricultural productiveness, scale back flood and drought dangers, restore biodiversity and strengthen local weather resilience throughout the catchment.
As the session drew to a detailed, stakeholders agreed that the problem earlier than Nigeria is not planning however implementation.
With 20 strategic catchment plans validated, an extra $500 million in financing secured, and unprecedented collaboration amongst federal and state establishments, the main focus now shifts to translating the blueprints into measurable outcomes.
For the World Bank, ACReSAL and collaborating states, the last word aim stays clear: restoring degraded landscapes, securing water sources, strengthening local weather resilience and making a more healthy atmosphere for thousands and thousands of Nigerians at this time and generations but unborn.
