Governor Charles Soludo on Thursday said Anambra was financially constrained to tackle erosion, which has affected over 30 per cent of its total landmass.

He said that dedicating the state’s entire budget to ecological remediation would still fall short of the financial requirement.

Mr Soludo said this during a live broadcast at the Light House, Awka, to mark the 35th anniversary of Anambra’s creation.

Among the programme for the commemoration is the inauguration of a renewed Clean and Green initiative.

The initiative aims to transform the state into a clean, planned, and sustainable habitat.

The governor declared a state of emergency on the environment, describing environmental degradation as Anambra’s “number one existential threat”.

He said that while his administration had made significant progress in addressing insecurity, the environmental crisis required urgent, collective action.

According to him, although cities globally are grappling with climate change and flooding, the situation in Anambra is a severe existential crisis, with about 98 per cent of the degradation attributed to human activities.

“Anambra is the gully erosion capital of Africa, if not the world. More than 30 per cent of our total landmass has already been eroded. Even if we dedicate the entire state budget to ecological remediation, it will still not be enough to address the magnitude of the problem,” he said.

Mr Soludo listed Nanka, Oko, Amaokpala, Ozubulu, Ogidi, Nkpor, parts of Onitsha and Nnewi among communities experiencing severe erosion, resulting in the collapse of homes, roads and farmlands.

He said that the state’s porous soil had contributed to the problem, but human activities had drastically accelerated the degradation over the years.

The governor said that available data indicated that the crisis was a cumulative 60-year problem. He said blocked drains, unauthorised construction on waterways, uncontrolled run-off, and reckless excavation of soil without environmental impact assessments drove the problem.

The governor also identified farming on vulnerable slopes as contributing 20 per cent to the crisis, deforestation 13 per cent and indiscriminate sand mining nine per cent.

Mr Soludo acknowledged previous administrations’ efforts to tackle the environmental challenges, adding that his administration had introduced structural measures to address the situation. He said that the measures included opening drainage channels, mainstreaming environmental standards and prohibiting roads from being constructed without proper drainage terminations.

The governor said the state was therefore shifting from a reactive, government-dominated approach to a proactive and community-driven response. He said traditional rulers, town unions, churches, schools and markets would be expected to mobilise residents to take ownership of their environment.

Under the new directives, he said all 179 communities in the state would be required to desilt drainages daily, while blocking waterways would be treated as an offence with the support of traditional institutions.

Mr Soludo also directed every household to maintain a waste bin, control run-off water within private compounds and desist from building on waterways. He said that physical planning and environmental education would also be integrated into civic education curricula.

“I urge residents to embrace tree planting and other measures that will promote a greener and healthier environment.

“Use the 35th anniversary of the state to reflect on the legacy inherited from previous generations and take collective responsibility for securing a viable, green and sustainable Anambra for future generations,” Mr Soludo said.

(NAN)