Anambra State chapter of Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) has disbursed over N200m in rebuilding lives and businesses of people who were uprooted by the soaring menace of gully erosion that has ravaged different communities in the state for several decades.
Project Coordinator in the State, Engr Mike Ivenso revealed this at “Meet the Media,” an interactive forum organized by Governor Obiano’s Media Team in Awka.
He said the fight against gully erosion in the state was not only directed at reclaiming the devastated ecology but also rebuilding lives that had been fragmented by the erosion menace and giving people a chance to dream again.
“This administration has today disbursed over N200m to Communities across Anambra State, to men and women in a community interest group to set up pigry, poultry, soap making etc and these people are actually making money and they are able to support themselves and their families, so that’s an aspect of Newmap we don’t always talk about because it’s always the not too visible part of it.
“It is one thing to solve the physical challenges created by the devastation wrought by erosion on the environment but “the impact the erosion has left behind will still be there if you don’t do anything about them. So part of NEWMAP’s intervention is to also help the livelihoods of those men, women and children that have been impacted by erosion.”
Offering further insight into the scope of the agency’s efforts to rehabilitate and re-ignite the lives of victims of erosion menace, Engr Ivenso revealed that now fewer than 16 communities have been positively impacted by the programme.
Said he: “In terms of response to Communities, we are talking about 16 Communities, about 1,700 people and about 60 percent are women. In Amachalla community, there is an interest group of 4 people involved in poultry farming and in Abagana an oil palm interest group also benefitted.
“We are supporting the community to establish an oil palm plantation for more productivity. In Onitsha, Omagba area, we have a fish farm, a snail farm and watermelon/cucumber farms. So, NEWMAP is touching the lives of people at the grassroots. We don’t just stop erosion; we touch the lives of the people that are adversely affected by the erosion.”
Engr Ivenso explained that the response to erosion had since evolved to a point where the state could proudly talk about its efforts to build the relevant capacity, skills and knowledge it needs to effectively handle the threat of gully erosion.
“The vision 2070 Committee recently requested for documents from us and one of the Committee members had remarked that they did not know that such materials were actually available in the State.
“So the amount of investment made to study the nature of erosion and its impact supports our long term effort, so that the future generations will no longer have to make huge investments to understand how erosion is tackled in Anambra State and what damages it has really caused to the people and the communities across Anambra State.
Speaking further, Engr Ivenso decried the needless confusion over the nature of the relationship between Anambra State Government and NEWMAP which many opposition politicians had latched onto to dissociate Anambra State Government from the exploits of NEWMAP in the state.
According to him: “NEWMAP in Anambra State is strictly under the Government of Anambra State. The tendency of the people to tag it to World Bank is what we have tried to change and get people to understand that it is the State Government that is doing the projects. We’ll continue to educate people to understand better. Anambra Government is the one doing the interventions under Governor Willie Obiano administration.”
