By Okey Maduforo Awka
About 160 Communities in Anambra state are currently being ravaged by the menace of gully erosion in the area a development that has been blamed on the poor management of wastes the n the state.
To this end the Anambra state government has commenced the campaign against poor management of wastes with a special bias for the plastic wastes which has been the major causes of flood and gully erosion in the area.
Disclosing this at this year’s All Anambra Communities Plastic Wastes Recovery Challenge 2.0 the Deputy Governor Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim noted that while other states in the country are expanding in land mass Anambra state land mass is reducing yearly insisting on the collective efforts of all and sundry in the drive for effective wastes management.
“One of the causes of gully erosion in Anambra state is poor management of wastes in our communities and this menace has affected over 160 Communities in Anambra state”
“Our people needs to embrace the culture of wastes management especially during this rainy seasons and we all know that plastic wastes do not decay and when they get to the flood plains or drainages it blocks the flow of water and ultimately over flow to cause flood or gully erosion in our communities” he said.
In his address earlier the Commissioner for Environment Engr Felix Odumegwu announced that the state government has targeted to recover over 100,000 tones of plastic wastes in a bid to rid the state of wastes.
To this end government has flagged off the second edition of plastic waste recovery competition for the 179 Communities in the area with a price offer of N1.7 million to be won by three outstanding towns .
A break down of the prizes to be won shows that the first position goes home with the sum of N1 million, the second position gets N500,000 while the second runner up gets the sum of N200,000.00.
“This year, we have set an ambitious target to recover 100, 000 tonnes of plastic wastes. We believe that with your continued support and dedication we can achieve and even surpass this goal ”
“The challenge will once again engage our communities in a spirited competition to see the Communities that can collect the most plastic waste. ”
“It will involve awareness programs , clean – up drives and innovative solutions to plastic waste management ” he said.
