The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has called on residents of Gombe state to embrace environmentally-friendly approaches in the conduct of their daily activities to reduce pollution and deforestation.
Mr Charles Sharah, the North-East Zonal Director of NESREA, made the call on Thursday in Gombe.
Sharah noted that the increasing use of firewood as energy source was impacting negatively on the environment and worsening the level of global warming.
He said the use of cooking gas is a better alternative as it helps to halt deforestation and does not constitute as much health hazard.
“We all must embrace the use of cooking gas as friends of our environment. The level of domestic pollution through the use of firewood may seem small, but worsens the Nigerian environment more than what obtains in industrialised societies.
“The effect in the long run will contribute to damaging the ozone layer and lead to global warming. Also, the reckless felling of tree to make fire has deleterious effect on the environment.
“As societies grow, we must adopt and embrace environmentally-friendly means in doing whatever we do as our contribution to protecting our environment for the future,’’ he said.
Sharah added that burning of wastes and bushes also contributed to air pollution.
“As we go into the dry season, bush and wastes burning must be avoided for the sake of our health and of the environment,’’ he said.
He said NESREA initiated an emission control programme to militate against air pollution.
The emission control, covering vehicular and generator emission programmes developed by the agency, seeks to sanitise the environment and to ensure clean air, he explained.
He added that control programme which had been test-run in Gombe State would soon kick off and be extended to other geo-political zones of the country.
Sharah commended the Gombe State government’s initiative of planting one million trees annually for the next four years, adding that the initiative would impact positively in ensuring a greener and beautiful environment.