By Nneka Nwogwugwu
As State governments are working on urban development, Rivers State government is not also left out especially in the area of land reclamation.
Land reclamation is the process of artificially creating new land. This is done either by draining out muddy areas or by filling up existing water bodies such as oceans, seas and riverbeds. The new land created as a result of this is called reclaimed land, reclaimed ground or landfill.
The purpose of land reclamation is to create new land for housing, agriculture and industry. Lagos State is an example of States which has used this environmental technology to build real estates.
Rivers state on the other hand, is now becoming more like Lagos State in the area of reclaiming land to construct real estates in the capital city, Port Harcourt.
However, environmentalists are against land reclamation because of the negative effects it has on the environment.
The process of land reclamation is inherently detrimental to the natural habitats because it can change the natural coastline and alters the waterbed, a report by the Uptide stated.
Asides from the creation of new land, there also is the question of where the fill material is sourced from. Gathering the rocks and the soil to fill up the target area could mean the destruction of existing landmasses.
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If not done carefully, land reclamation can lead to long-term problems such as soil erosion and increase the risk of floods. This is why projects need to be planned to bear in mind the wider impact on the natural environment.
But despite the negative effects, the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Tammy Danagogo, said the reclamation of lands across riverine communities in the State would provide more room for community development.
According to the SSG, if not Governor Nyesom Wike, who has a heart for riverine communities, it would have been difficult to witness the drastic reclamation of land for the benefit of future generations being witnessed in most riverine communities across the State.
Danagogo who made this assertion during a visit to the site of the 52 hectares of land reclamation for Abonnema and Obonoma in Akuku Toru LGA of the State told the Sun last year October, that, “Being aware that Land is the most pressing need of riverine communities, the governor is ensuring the execution of the reclamation to serve the yawning need in the riverine communities.
“Wike as I have always emphasized, ensures uninterrupted payments so that all his projects will be completed on time. This particular reclamation has a completion schedule of eight months to enable the government map out the utility lines within his tenure.”
He urged the contractor, Masters Dredging Limited, to fast-track its work pace to meet the eight months timeline set by the governor.”
Getting a reaction from a Port Harcourt based Real Estate company, the manager who spoke to NatureNews in anonymity, informed that they carry their operations legally without infringement of the law.
He also said that all land acquisition is being approved by the state ministry of Lands.
Efforts are still being made to get the commissioner ‘s position on land reclamation.
