By Bisola Adeyemo
As part of efforts to control flood and erosion, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Charles Udoh, said N10 billion has been spent on erosion control projects in the state in the last nine months.
Udoh said in Eket on Friday, that the money was spent on two major sites – Etim Umana erosion and St. Luke Hospital control projects.
“In the last nine months or so, we have spent close to N10 billion on erosion and the two major sites are Etim Umana erosion and St. Luke Hospital erosion control projects,’’ he said.
The commissioner noted that businesses, houses and critical infrastructure had been displaced by erosion and flood in the areas.
“This automatically means that whenever there is down pour, we are in the rain belt, gully erosion will become a problem,’’ he said.
He said building of houses on the right of way and farming on the slope of gully were some causes of gully erosion.
“We are receiving a major drain to evacuate flood water because if you allow flood water to be there (IBB avenue) for a long time, it will begin to eat the crux of the earth surface.
“Then erosion will begin to prick in, especially in a place like Uyo that the soil texture is loose,’’ Udoh said.
The commissioner said the state government had rescued more than 100 houses, entire St. Luke and School of Nursing in Etim Umana from erosion.
On the ecological issue, Environews reported that the state government alone could not solve the state’s erosion problem, adding that it was seeking intervention (ecological funds) to do that.
He lamented that some residents of Uyo, Ibesikpo and Itu local governments still live in erosion prone areas after being asked to evacuate the sites.
Udoh said that the state government had identified 10 erosion sites on which to carry out control projects, but lack the funds to execute the job.
“We are trying to access the ecological funds, we hope that we would have some success,’’ the commissioner said.