By Grace Samuel
The Bauchi State Government is set to distribute 500,000 energy cooking stoves to residents and produce briquettes as an alternative to firewood and charcoal which was commonly used among residents.
The government has also organized sensitization programs to educate residents on the importance of tree planting and caring for them until maturity.
Bauchi State Project Coordinator of Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), Dr. Ibrahim Kabir, disclosed this adding that the intervention aims to reduce charcoal and firewood production to the barest minimum.
Related Posts
According to him, the pilot phase will witness 3,000 energy stoves w launched to monitor the impact for three months.
Giving additional information on the initiative, the State Commissioner for Housing and Environment, Danlami Ahmed Kawule, explained that with continuation of illegal felling of trees across the state without planting replacement seedlings necessitated the initiative.
Dr. Kabir said illegal tree felling may lead to desertification and environmental degradation across the state. Hence, the government’s efforts decision to address deforestation, emissions, and health hazards associated with charcoal production and use.
He expressed concern over the rampant illegal felling of trees for charcoal production, despite existing laws prohibiting the practice.
To address this, he said the government has launched an intervention to reclaim the forest and environment from charcoal producers and reduce peoples reliance on firewood and charcoal for cooking.
