South Africa on Monday, September 17, 2018 issued a cholera alert following an outbreak in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa
“There is a significant risk that travelers from the outbreak-affected area may present with cholera in South Africa,’’ the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said.
Healthcare workers countrywide, especially those in Limpopo Province, which borders Zimbabwe, should be on high alert for suspected cholera cases, the NICD said.
It urged the public, especially those living near the border with Zimbabwe, to use safe water and practice good hygiene to reduce the risk of cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Sept. 11, almost 2,000 suspected cholera cases, including 24 deaths, were reported in Zimbabwe.
The outbreak is linked to inadequate supply of safe piped water and subsequent use of unsafe water supplies, including boreholes and wells.
As of Sept. 13, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of cholera in South Africa, the NICD said.
An environmental group, “Let’s Do It! Nigeria”, has mobilised stakeholders to clear 249.63 tonnes of trash nationwide, to commemorate the 2018 World Cleanup Day (WCD).
Coastal cleanup in Lagos
Publicity Manager of the group, Mr Gafar Olorunleke, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, September 17, 2018 in Lagos.
Olorunleke said that the group, in partnership with various environmental stakeholders, embarked on the cleanup over the weekend.
“The World Cleanup Day provided an opportunity to demonstrate how active citizens all over Nigeria can unite against trash and climate change.
“A total of 7,143 people participated in the project all over Nigeria with a total weight of 249.63 tonnes of wastes (226,458 kg) moved from the streets and drainages.
“The World Cleanup Day project is the biggest civic action in the world and in Nigeria as the project unites the key sectors of the society for a waste-free environment,” he said.
The environmentalist said the group’s aim for a waste-free Nigeria went beyond the commemoration of the WCD but to enlighten Nigerians on international best practices on waste management.
“The campaign is not only about cleaning up of waste, the project was aimed at enlightening the public about opportunities they can derive from the entire value chain of waste management.
“For the group, the cleanup was aimed at waking people’s consciousness to the global trash problem.
“Our end goal is to engage key environment stakeholders at every level of the society in order to achieve the goals of zero waste in Nigeria.
“In particular it is to ensure that Nigeria attains a full circular economy.”
Olorunleke revealed that the cleanup was warmly welcomed by various communities and market women, who participated in the exercise.
“According to the feedback we received from our cleanup locations, the market women were glad to know more about wastes and how much wealth could be realised from trash.
“One of the volunteers at the Ikorodu garage cleanup location, confessed that the cleanup has inspired him to develop a positive attitude towards waste,” Olorunleke said.
NAN reports that the World Cleanup Day is commemorated annually on Sept. 15.
It began in Estonia in 2008 when 50,000 people united to clean up the entire country in just five hours.
The World Cleanup Day is currently being celebrated in over 150 countries of the world.
The Kano State Government has confirmed the death of 31 people and destruction of more than 10,000 houses during the recent flood disaster in 15 Local Government Areas of the state.
Flooding in Kano
Alhaji Ali Bashir, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SERERA), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano, the state capital, on Monday, September 17, 2018.
Bashir said that the cost of the disaster, which wreaked havoc on more than 10,000 houses in the affected areas, was estimated at over N5 billion.
“Thirty-one people lost their lives and more than 10,000 houses that are estimated at over N5 billion were affected.
“Most of the affected houses were either totally or partially destroyed,” the Executive Secretary said.
He explained that no fewer than 35,000 farmers were also affected by the disaster in eight local government areas of the state.
According to Bashir, some of the farmlands were submerged by water while others were completely washed away by the flood.
“The farm produce destroyed include maize, cotton, white beans, onion, rice, groundnut, millet and other cash crops,” he said.
Bashir said that 8,000 farmers were affected in Wudil, 6,000 in Warawa, 2,000 in Gaya and 3,000 in Gabasawa among others.
The executive secretary said that the agency was compiling reports from the eight local government areas hit by the disaster to ascertain the value of the 35,000 farmlands destroyed.
He assured that a comprehensive report would be produced for onward submission to the state government for immediate consideration.
He also added that the agency received alert from Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency that 20 local governments of the state would be affected by flooding.
The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) recently disclosed that its members in Kano State lost over 5,000 hectares of rice farms to flood in 10 local government areas of the state.
To mark th 2018 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, a group of environmental advocates under the platform of Environmental Communication and Research Group (ECREG) has called on government and the citizenry to increase efforts towards the protection of the ozone layer, saying that such efforts will be presently beneficial to the earth, and helpful to future generations.
Victor Ikem
In a statement released in Lagos, coordinator of ECREG, Victor Ikem, said: “We must live each day with the consciousness that we all have a role to play in the sustainability of our collective environment and the earth. The Ozone Layer remains one of the most important earth’s resources which we must not allow to continue to deplete due to human actions.
“Our call for increased awareness and positive actions towards preservation of the Ozone Layer is for the benefit of the future generations and even this generation, so that we can bequeath a better and safer earth to our unborn children.”
The international Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is a day set aside by the United Nations for attention of governments and citizens around the world towards the issue of Ozone Layer depletion. Precisely, in 1994, the General Assembly of the UN proclaimed, in its resolution 49/114, that September 16 every year would be recognised as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer and, in commemoration of the day in 1987, the protocol of substances that deplete the ozone layer was signed in Montreal, Canada.
Gases that contain Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Halons and Freons are known to be responsible for ozone layer depletion. This has brought about untold consequences on humans, animals and plants, responsible for non-melanoma skin cancer in human as well as other harmful effects on the environment.
It is imperative for African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to advocate for innovative solutions to overcome environmental challenges facing Africa, UN Environment regional director for Africa, Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, said on Sunday, September 16, 2018.
Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo
“This continent has the capacity and the knowledge to innovatively overcome our environmental challenges. We need to move faster from the ‘business as usual’ approach and devise ways and means to address issues such as rising energy costs, poverty, environmental degradation, pollution and social inequality or changes in legislation,” Koudenoukpo told a cross-section of CSOs in Nairobi during a two-day consultations to prepare for the seventh special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) and the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly.
The meeting, co-organised by UN Environment and Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), brought together 120 participants from accredited organisations across Africa.
“African countries need, more than any time before, to invest in innovative solutions to unlock its economic and social potential and create inclusive wealth for the wellbeing of their populations,” she emphasised, adding that innovation should happen at the policy, finance, market and partnership levels.
“Remember that people, especially youth, should be at the heart of driving this process. Our youth have so many innovative ideas and initiatives that can make a difference in transforming our societies,” Koudenoukpo said.
The commitment and genuine involvement of all social groups are critical to the effective implementation of the policies and projects in the field of environment and sustainable development, Koudenoukpo stated.
By Arison TAMFU, Nairobi, Kenya (PAMACC News Agency)
The death toll from super typhoon Mangkhut has climbed to 65 in the Philippines and 43 missing, police said on Monday, September 17, 2018.
Typhoon Mangkhut
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said 54 of the fatalities came from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in Luzon Island.
The other casualties were also from the northern Philippines, according to the PNP.
Seven people were killed in Cagayan Valley, two in central Luzon, one in Ilocos region and one in Metro Manila.
The PNP added that 43 others are missing while 64 others were wounded.
The super typhoon Mangkhut, which made landfall at 1:40 a.m. local time on Saturday in the northern Philippines, already exited this Southeast Asian country on Saturday night.
Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon in the region so far this year, left a trail of destruction across the Philippines’s main Luzon island.
The need to invest in innovative solutions and interventions and promote sustainable consumption and production will top the agenda at the seventh special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), which takes place from Monday, September 17 to Wednesday, September 19, 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya.
AMCEN Plenary
Under the theme: “Turning Environmental Policies into Action through Innovative Solutions,” ministers are deliberating on key messages for the forthcoming African Biodiversity Ministerial Summit which will be held in Egypt in November this year, prior to the 2018 UN Conference on Biodiversity.
The African continent holds 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves, roughly 65 per cent of its arable land and 10 per cent of its internal renewable energy sources. Its fisheries are estimated to be worth $24 billion and the continent hosts the second largest tropical forest in the world. Targeted environmental policies have the potential to provide solutions to sustainable socio-economic development and poverty alleviation across Africa.
At the conference, ministers are particularly looking at how to enhance the political will to address the challenges of environmental degradation and increase investments in innovative solutions to sustainably maximise on the benefit from the continent’s abundant natural resources.
Ecosystem degradation costs Africa $68 billion annually coupled with losses of up to 6.6 million tonnes of potential grain harvest, capable of meeting calorific needs of up to 31 million people. In addition, post-harvest losses are estimated at $48 billion annually.
“Africa should focus on making a paradigm shift through practical innovative actions so that we can benefit at the maximum levels,” said Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, UN Environment regional director for Africa, “We have made strides through AMCEN by taking policy reform directions to promote and strengthen innovative and environmentally sound actions that can ensure sustainable use of Africa’s natural capital.”
Among other key issues to be discussed is Africa’s preparation for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held from 3 to 14 December 2018 in Katowice, Poland.
The conference is held back to back with the first meeting of the Africa Environment Partnership Platform which will take place from September 20 to 21. The aim of the Africa Environment Partnership Platform is to promote sustainable environmental management in Africa through enhanced partnership, coordination and harmonisation of activities.
Representatives of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), sub-regional economic communities, the African Development Bank (AfDB), civil society organisations, United Nations agencies as well as other bilateral and multilateral partners are also participating in the special session.
The conference is expected to adopt a declaration, a set of decisions and key messages, and the outcomes of the seventh special session of AMCEN will feed into the 4th session of the UN Environment Assembly meeting to be held in March 2019 at UN Environment headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Qatar on Monday, September 17, 2018 said that the country had plans to produce first Qatari electric cars by 2023, local media reported.
Sustainable transport: Achieving zero emission from electric cars
The Qatari electric vehicles will be manufactured by the factory which will be established at a cost of nine billion dollars, said Qatar Tribune newspaper.
The project will be the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East as it is a whole new brand, said Ali al-Misnad, Chairman of the Qatar Quality company, which is responsible for this project.
Al-Misnad also said that the new giant project aims to manufacture more than 500,000 cars by 2024 with plans to export the electric vehicles to countries all over the world.
As part of the project, the plan will include establishing of six factories and each will be specialised in different production line.
Royal Dutch Shell announced on Monday, September 17, 2018 plans to limit emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, across its oil and gas operations.
Royal Dutch Shell’s Chief Executive Officer, Ben van Beurden
Shell aims to maintain methane emissions intensity below 0.2 per cent by 2025, it said in a statement, joining British rival BP, which last year set a similar goal.
Methane is released into the atmosphere mostly through leaks in gas infrastructure such as pumps and pipelines.
The gas has a bigger impact than carbon dioxide, even though the oil and gas industry produces less methane and the gas also has a shorter lifetime.
The methane target will be measured against a baseline leak rate, which is currently estimated at range from 0.01 per cent to 0.8 per cent across the company’s oil and gas assets, it said.
The Anglo-Dutch company set out last year an ambitious plan to halve its carbon emissions by 2050, far exceeding rivals. Investors have called on the company to set binding targets to reach those goals.
The Acting Director-General of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Ahmed Mabudi, said the rumor making rounds about the release of water from the Lagdo Dam by Camaroonian authorities was untrue.
Lagdo Dam
There have been reports circulating that people living along the water banks of the Rivers Niger and Benue should run for their lives with the release of water by the operators of Lagdo dam in Cameroon.
According to the report, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Police are quoted as warning those living along the water banks to run for their lives “between now and Saturday’’ or many houses will be over run.
Mabudi, however, told NAN on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in Abuja that the news was false.
“We’ve have spoken with the operator in charge of the dam in the Southern Cameroon region, Mr Abdullahi, and we are in constant discussion with him.
“There is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and Cameroon that the Cameroonians must give us a long notice in the event that they want to release water from the dam, so we can take precautionary measures to contain any havoc as a result of the release.
“As at Tuesday when we spoke with Abdullahi, he said the water level at the dam was 12.1m, so it has to get to 12.6m before they start any release.
“So, when we alerted him about the stories making the rounds, he was shocked and refuted the claims.
“Yes, we know that there are rising water levels in Adamawa, Taraba and the Benue axis, but this is basically due to the torrential rain fall being currently experienced in the country,” he said.
He urged people living in high level water areas to remain vigilant and calm, adding that the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adams, as well as NIHSA, were in touch with operators of the Lagdo Dam.
As at Sunday, the water level in Lokoja is 11.2m as against 10.66 on Wednesday.
