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By Nsa Gill – Calabar
The management of the Nigeria Erosion Watershed Management Project NEWMAP, Cross River State has charged benefiting communities of the World Bank assisted projects to take ownership and guide the projects jealously.
The charge was given in a workshop on Wednesday, February 10th 2021 in Calabar organised by NEWMAP to sensitize communities on waste management and Erosion prevention.
The Commissioner for International Development Corporation and the Acting Project Coordinator of NEWMAP in the State, Dr. Inyang Asibong decried the nonchalant attitudes of benefiting communities towards the multi-million naira projects to be eroded by irresponsible human activities.
She averred that indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drains is causing erosion even in areas where erosion control had earlier been achieved.
Dr. Asibong charged communities to activate local waste management task force to checkmate and stop residents who often dump waste in the gutters.
She assured that government will provide more refuse bin, but most importantly, local residents must understand the dangers and implications of indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Speaking during the workshop, on Effective Waste Management and Erosion Prevention, Dr. Escor Udosen, urged the communities to take responsibility for the various projects of government in their vicinity.
One of the benefiting communities of NEWMAP projects, Ikot Ekpo community commended the various interventions of NEWMAP which has gone beyond erosion and waste management to provision of water as well as street lights in some instances.
They pledged to do their best from the impact of the workshop and requested for the expansion of NEWMAP intervention in their area.
