The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has blamed manmade factors for the devastating effects of erosion menace in Anambra State and the entire southeast.
A erosion site in Idemili, Anambra State
Mr Edmund Nkalu, Chairman of NSE, Awka Branch, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Monday, August 27, 2018.
NAN reports that the branch will hold a lecture with the theme “A case for Good Governance; Role of the Procurement Process” on Aug. 30 as part of its 60th anniversary.
Nkalu said erosion menace in Anambra was caused primarily by the soil type which was prone to erosion and the topography also increased the speed of runoff water which had helped the activities of storm water.
He, however, said that manmade factors including indiscriminate construction of buildings, covering of soil surfaces with concrete slabs, no or out dated urban designs and poor project supervision were exacerbating the menace.
Nkalu said people should imbibe the habit of keeping green surroundings as well as make adequate arrangements to ensure that rain water from their premises was properly collected and channeled.
“It is clear that storm water has been causing enormous damage in this part of the country, especially in Anambra, but it is not a new event as it has been with us for a while.
“There are manmade and natural factors that cause erosion but the man-made factor is an area that interest us.
“What can we do to reduce and control erosion which occurs as a result of human activities?
“At the individual level, people should design their buildings in such a way that flood water from rain can be absorbed in the soil, instead of these concrete floors which prevent water from percolating into the soil and increase the speed of runoff.
“It is ignorance that makes people to seal off the floor unlike in other climes where people only cover the portion for walkway to the house and leave the other areas green and to absolve the water.
“Let people begin to plant grass, there is nothing bad in having farm or garden in compounds,” he said.
Nkalu said the society decided to focus on effective procurement process in its forthcoming lecture because of its role in ensuring sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects.
He condemned the collapse of roads and structures due to erosion, blaming it on poor adherence to standards and supervision.
He urged government agencies, developers, community leaders to attend the lecture which was designed for the purpose of enhancing service delivery in both the public and private sectors.
“The Society of Engineers is not comfortable with roads collapsing within two years; we are calling on the supervisory agencies to step up their functions and help check the loss of scarce funds that goes into poor quality jobs.
“We need a concerted effort of the approval agencies, the physical planning board, the city development agencies, the Ministry of Environment to come up with a master plan designs.
“Specifications for road designs should be strictly adhered to, there are challenges of paucity of which make the contractors to cut corners.
“The procurement system must be thorough, the material quality must meet standards, the contractor must be competent and the cost of contract must be realistic to be able to build a quality road,” he said.
The chairman said the society was interested in good governance which according to him was all about service delivery in every sector of the economy.
The Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) says it has begun the assessment of damages caused by flood in 11 local government areas of the state.
Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, Governor of Kebbi State
The Acting Executive Director, Abbas Kamba, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, August 27, 2018 in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
Kamba said that the aim was to determine the level of support required by those affected.
He said that recent flooding had affected communities in Argungu, Birnin Kebbi, Suru, Bunza, Aleiro, Kalgo, Jega, Bagudu, Gwandu, Dandi and Shanga local government areas.
The official disclosed that 12 villages were affected by the flood in Shanga Local Government alone where many homes and farmlands were destroyed.
“The villages include Raha, Yola, Tsamiya, Dugu, Dugu Tsohuwa, Saminaka, Tudunwada, Faila, among others,” he said.
Kamba said the agency’s assessment would cover the number of households and farmlands affected.
According to him, the flood was caused in some areas by blocked waterways.
“We will collaborate with the National Orientation Agency to sensitise the public on the dangers of erecting illegal structures on waterways.
“Some areas were affected by the flood because the waterways had been blocked by illegal structures, and water must surely find its way,” he said.
Harvard scientists found that rising levels of carbon dioxide from human activity made rice and wheat less nutritious, which could result in 175 million people zinc-deficient and 122 million people protein-deficient by 2050.
Higher atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide result in less nutritious crop yields
A study published on Monday, August 27, 2018 in the journal Nature Climate Change showed that more than one billion women and children could lose a large amount of their dietary iron intake, putting them at increased risk of anemia and other diseases.
“Our research makes it clear that decisions we are making every day, how we heat our homes, what we eat, how we move around, what we choose to purchase, are making our food less nutritious.
“This can imperiling the health of other populations and future generations,” said Sam Myers, Lead Author of the Study and Principal Research Scientist at Harvard Chan School.
According to the study, higher atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide result in less nutritious crop yields, with concentrations of protein, iron, and zinc being three per cent to 17 per cent lower when crops are grown in environments where carbon dioxide concentrations are 550 parts per million (ppm) compared with crops grown under current atmospheric conditions, in which carbon dioxide levels are just above 400 ppm.
The study has shown that by the middle of this century, when atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are expected to reach around 550 ppm, 1.9 per cent of the global population or roughly 175 million people could become deficient in zinc.
And 1.3 per cent of the global population or 122 million people could become protein deficient.
Also, 1.4 billion women of childbearing age and children under five who, are currently at high risk of iron deficiency could have their dietary iron intakes reduced by four per cent or more.
The researchers also emphasised that billions of people currently living with nutritional deficiencies would likely see their conditions worsen because of less nutritious crops.
With the development of new techniques, wood is now being used to build skyscrapers and recent months have seen a surge in large timber structures being constructed across the globe claiming to be the biggest, the tallest, or the first of their kind. But observers are worried about the impact of the trend on the environment.
An impression of W350, a 70-storey, 350-metre skyscraper that would also be Japan’s tallest building on completion in 2041
No fewer that seven of these structures located across Europe, Asia and North America are either still on the drawing board, under construction or already in existence.
Some of these are the “Dutch Mountains” in Veldhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; “W350” in Tokyo, Japan; “Treet” in Bergen, Norway; “Mjøstårnet” in Brumundal, Norway; “Oak Timber Tower” in London, UK; “HoHo Tower” in Vienna, Austria; and “Brock Commons Student Residence” in Vancouver, Canada.
Touted as the “largest wooden building in the world”, the Dutch Mountains was conceived via a multi-disciplinary partnership made up of tech companies, service providers, architects and developers, and would contain a hi-tech, mixed-use programme for residents and visitors.
The W350 is a 70-storey, 350-metre skyscraper that would also be Japan’s tallest building on completion in 2041. Designed by Sumitomo’s Tsukuba Research Laboratory in collaboration with Tokyo practice Nikken Sekkei, the $5.9 billion multi-use tower containing a hotel, residential units, offices, and shops would be wrapped in large balconies covered in plants.
W350 would be almost four times higher than the world’s current tallest timber building – the 18-storey Brock Commons Student Residence in Vancouver. But the tallest wooden skyscraper in the world is soon to emerge in 2018: the 24-storey, multi-purpose HoHo Tower stands at 84 metres with 76 percent of the building made from timber.
The Dutch Mountains in The Netherlands
One of the current claimants of the world record for the tallest timber building is Treet in Norway, which stands at 51 metres tall, even the though the Mjøstårnet is set to reach an even taller height of 81 meters. Construction of Mjøstårnet began in early September and is due for completion in March 2019.
Even though proponents of the technology claim that it is sustainable and reduces the carbon footprint compared with the conventional method, some environmentalists however remain sceptical.
Wood has long been a favoured construction material, noted for being durable, lightweight and inexpensive. In fact, Japan’s government passed a law in 2010 promoting the sustainable use of wood in all public buildings up to three stories high.
But architect and environmental activist, Nnimmo Bassey, says cutting trees for large building structures will intensify the creation of plantations or cause deforestation.
“These compound climate and social crises,” he adds, pointing out that plantations “are bad news for the climate”.
“Many of them are planted after clearing and felling of trees. Plantations are not only bad for the climate, they are bad for communities who lease land and biodiversity,” he notes, adding:
“Let me state clearly that high rise timber structures pose unique risks and should be erected with full understanding of such risks. Topmost risk is that of fire. Consider if such structures were in the line of the raging fires in California, for example.”
A forestry, environmental as well as research & development (R & D) expert, Dr David Ladipo, also frowns at the development, saying that to use wood so intensively is not sustainable beyond research or exhibition level.
His words: “This system of 70 to 90% wood in structures such as buildings will drive forest or tree felling to its brink and accentuate our environmental problems the more. If the lumber will be sourced from Japan and Switzerland or any other place in Europe and Asia, their forests will be exhausted.
“Unfortunately, all the wood will come from Africa and the developing world, as the Chinese are presently exploiting our wood massively in Nigeria. Africa already has its problems of deforestation, charcoal production, climate change, poor agriculture yield, etc. Further exploitation of its forests will further warm the continent and have a telling effect on the developed world.
“So, the world should frown against the massive use of timber. Instead, they should use utilise reconstituted timber/wood, which is made from sawdust and cement. They should also source the wood from elsewhere and not from Africa.”
While Prince Lekan Fadina of the Centre for Investment, Sustainable Development, Management & Environment (CISME) expressed concern over “the loss of cover which the trees provide and the loss of the economic benefit and the impact on the environment and sustainable livelihood”, Ako Amadi of the Community Conservation and Development Initiatives (CCDI) on the other wonders if the construction is utilising forest hardwood or plantation timber like teak.
“No problem if it’s teak as it is grown in plantations even in Nigeria with the purpose of using its timber,” adds Amadi.
Some parties are however not entirely against the development.
“Wood is a renewable resource so if it could be sustainably harvested, it could be a suitable replacement for cement, a product with high carbon emissions during production,” submits Chike Chikwendu, engineer and head of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability.
“Norway is already pioneering a 10-storey wooden building. I have not gone through the details, but my expectation is that selective cutting and replanting of wood would be the sustainability means. The wood will not be sourced from outside. It will be nice to get the project concept,” contends Prof Olukayode Oladipo of the University of Lagos, Akoka.
Prof. Daniel Gwary of the University of Maiduguri states: “From the surface, this development looks worrisome in terms of carbon sequestration point of view. However, it is important to note some important things. First, house and general construction work round the world using wood is not new but has been going on for centuries at a sustainable scale. For trees to serve as effective sinks, they need to be managed and part of the management process is pruning and replacing older trees with young ones.
“Secondly, for countries like Japan that are in earthquake zones, they require lighter building materials for safety and wood is four times lighter than concrete therefore is a preferred building material.
“Thirdly, the Japanese company building the 70-storey skyscraper, the Sumitomo Forestry Co Ltd, is a forestry-architectural outfit that is committed to GHG emission reduction and intends to use wood from old forest planted soon after the world war. This is to be part of the forest management strategy.
“Finally, with reduced global use of paper due to new information technology (IT) it is argued that this new limited demand for wood for construction may be sustained with good plan.”
The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos was on Sunday, August 26, 2018 reopened to traffic after closure for three days for investigative maintenance tests.
Third-Mainland-Bridge
The 11.8km bridge was closed to traffic on Aug. 24 for investigative maintenance tests and it was scheduled to be reopened to traffic Aug. 26.
Lagos State Commissioner for transportation, Mr Ladi Lawanson led a delegation of the state officials to the reopening ceremony while the Director, Highways, Bridges and Designs in the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Adetokunbo Sogbesan, also led the ministry’s team.
Also at the event were the heads of the traffic regulatory and law enforcement agencies and their teams.
After the opening ceremony on the bridge, Police officers supervised the removal of the barriers on the bridge about 5.00 p.m. to open it to traffic.
Sogbesan told journalists that the bridge was opened earlier than schedule because the test was completed on time due to favorable weather.
“We were to open the bridge at midnight today, we are going ahead of schedule,’’ he told journalists.
He said the result from the test would be sent to Italy and that it was an opportunity for technology transfer as local engineers would join in the analysis of the result from the expansions joints.
Sogbesan said underwater inspection of piers of the bridge would be done later in November when the water level would have gone down.
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State said that about 32 expansion joints were tested, adding that the results needed analysis before further action.
“We expect that the result would be out by next month.’’
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation reacting to the opening said: “I am as excited as all Lagosians.’’
He commended the tests, stating that it was a proactive measure toward observing good maintenance culture.
Lawanson said the state was developing its other modes of transport for ease of movement across the state, adding that it had just finished a conference of developing water transport.
Mr Gainrranco Albertazzi, Joint Managing Director, Borini Prono, the contractors handling the project, said digital machines were used to get accurate readings from the expansion joints.
He thanked residents and motorists for their cooperation during the period of the closure of the bridge.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations, Mr Ali Mohammed, said the Police were able to effectively manage the traffic and security during the period of the closure.
According to him, policemen were stationed at every 100 metres along the diversion routes, adding that there were no complaints relating to the bridge closure.
“We deployed over 1,000 policemen to take charge of these points until the bridge is open,’’ he said.
Also, Assistant Corps Commander of the FRSC, Hauwa Olowookere, said that the collaboration of all the agencies made the operations smooth during the closure.
Mr Adeoye Oluyemi, Head of Operations, LASTMA, disclosed that more than 650 officials were deployed during the period, adding that there were no issues except for a lone accident around Adeniji Adele.
There were enough caution tapes, reflective signs and adequate signs on diversion routes during the period, he added.
The Lagos State Government says work is in progress to integrate the rail, road and water transport systems to address the persistent gridlocks in the state.
Traffic congestion in Lagos
Commissioner for Transport, Mr Ladi Lawanson, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday, August 26, 2018.
“In order to get everything right, the state government implementing a master plan to integrate the major transportation systems to ensure free flow of traffic and curb incessant gridlocks.
“The transportation master plan involves the three major modes of transportation: the rail, road and water.
“For the road transport, work is going on to ensure the transportation sector is transformed to the modern system which is practised globally.
“The road system has the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which we have been using for a while and the state served as the operator.
“We were running it like that until we found out that the method was not suitable because government, to be frank, has no business to be in a business.
“Rather, the government has decided to opt out and now be a regulator,” he said.
Lawanson also said the state government was committed to ensuring the safety of the people using the waterways as their means of transportation within the state.
According to him, to tackle emergencies on the waterways more efficiently, the Lagos State government is to procure life-saving, quick response boats.
“The state government is working on bringing ideals and best practices on water transportation as the sub-sector requires millions 0f dollars of investment, if we are to do it right.
“We are going to procure life-saving boats, top speed boats and quick response boats such that, anytime there is an emergency, we will rescue promptly without recording any casualty,” he told NAN.
Lawanson said, “The government also distributes free life jackets to jetties periodically to save lives on waterways.
“There is at least a guard in every jetty in the state to properly kit passengers with life jackets before any journey because safety of life and property is very important.”
The commissioner said the government would set up a security institution on water transport, but that the institution would require a lot of training because water transportation was hazardous.
According to him, the government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a French firm, Alstom, to complete the Blue Rail project after a technical review.
“Before now, what was done was civil works; other components including signal, electrical and rolling stock have not been covered.
“Alstom is very good in the different aspects of the technology required to make it a success,’’ he said.
Lawanson told NAN that discussions with potential partners and financiers had also commenced on the Red Line aspect of the project which was referred to as ‘Phase Two.’
According to him, it will run from Marina to Agbado on the northern flank of Lagos.
“Putting a rail project together requires a lot of patience and resourcefulness in terms of financing, where the financing will come from and who we are going to use,” the commissioner disclosed.
The Benue State Government has approved the construction of four additional refuse dumpsites across the state in the bid to ease evacuation of wastes being generated daily.
Scavengers at a dumpsite
Mr Andrew Chile, the General Manager, Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency (BENSESA), stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, August 26, 2018 in Makurdi, the state capital.
According to Chile, the sites will be located at Gboko Road, Naka Road, Aliade Road and North Bank.
He said that the inability of the sgency to evacuate refuse because of absence of dumpsites would now be a thing of the past.
The general manager assured residents that the designated dumpsites would be far from residential houses to avoid inhaling bad odour and contamination of ground water.
Chile said that the present administration was highly committed to ensuring clean environment.
“The state government had since approved the construction of four additional refuse bunkers, while the existing ones will undergo renovation,” he said.
He attributed prevalence of refuse heaps to indiscriminate dumping of refuse, shortage of bunkers, among others.
The BENSESA boss appealed to the public to maintain the culture of dumping their refuse at the designated dump sites.
He also appealed to residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways to avoid flooding and also prevent outbreak of diseases.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it is partnering with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to strengthen the provision of quick and appropriate emergency medical assistance to victims of disasters across the country.
Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole
Mr Sani Datti, Head of Media and Public Relations (NEMA) made this known in a statement on Sunday, August 26, 2018 in Abuja.
According to Datti, a Bilateral Technical Working Group (BTWG) has been established between NEMA and the NMA to draw up details of the working relationship.
He said that Mr Mustapha Maihaja, Director General of NEMA, led management staff of the agency to meet with the national executives of the NMA in Abuja at the weekend.
Datti quoted Maihaja as identifying the imperatives for the partnership to actively engage members of the association in addressing gaps in the provision of medical supports in the aftermath of disaster incidents.
Maihaja said, “though there were a number of medical personnel in NEMA, response to disaster situations would always require more professionals to guide and direct us appropriately.
“Partnership with the NMA would avail the services of specialists in various medical fields to deal with situations such as malnutrition among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
“Deployment of First Aid by emergency workers and advocacy against environmental health issues among others.”
Datti said that the National Executives of the NMA led by the President Dr. Francis Adedayo in discussion with the NEMA management noted that the partnership would enable them to offer more services.
Adebayo said that with agreement better services would be offered to the less privileged and those in distress in all the States of the Federation including FCT with Specialist in all the Categories of the Medical Profession.
A disagreement in the areas impacted by an oil leak on the Trans Ramos Pipeline within Shell’s oilfield at Aghoro communities in Bayelsa State has stalled a joint investigation of the spill.
A water body in the Niger Delta polluted by crude oil
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the leak, which occurred on Thursday, May 17, 2018, discharged a yet-to-be ascertained volume of crude oil into the environment and polluted the river, farmlands and surroundings.
Shell said a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) to ascertain the cause of the oil leak had been concluded but that the report was yet to be signed by all the parties.
Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, Media Relations Manager at SPDC, told NAN on Saturday, August 25, 2018 in Yenagoa, the state capital, that the joint investigation was conducted by the oil major, representatives of the host community, government and regulatory agencies.
Odugbesan, however, said that report of the JIV, which commenced early last month, was ready and awaiting signing by the communities but declined to give reasons for the delay in releasing the JIV report, adding that the oil firm had commenced clean up of impacted sites.
The JIV report is expected to unravel the cause of the spill, volume of oil discharged, and the area adversely impacted, and volume of oil recovered in the spill incident as well as serve as a basis to determine compensation.
NAN learnt that Shell and representatives of the host communities had a sharp disagreement on the size of areas affected by the spill and hence refused to sign the report, which had disrupted ongoing clean up of the site.
Mr Sunday Benjamin, Chairman, Community Development Committee, Aghoro 1, who participated in the JIV, said that the communities had argued that the spill had spread to wider areas and affected more places than the JIV covered.
“The cause of the stalemate is that Shell refused to accommodate satellite communities. They did not allow the JIV to be extensive. They excluded the satellite communities and fishing settlements.
“They only captured Aghoro 1 and 2, leaving other fishing settlements impacted by the crude oil that leaked into the waters. They recorded 33 acres for Aghoro 1 and 113 acres for Aghoro 2.
“We eventually signed our portion because we did not want delays in the process and our land affected was not much but Aghoro 2 people refused to sign that is why the JIV report is delayed.
“Everyone agreed that the spill was traced to ruptured pipeline on three points, due to corrosion on the Trans Ramos Pipeline,” Benjamin said.
Reacting to the development, Dr Peter Idabor, Director-General of the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, said that the JIV was “inconclusive”, following the disagreements.
“From the feedback from our officers in Yenagoa, the JIV is inconclusive,” Idabor said.
The Director, Highways, Bridges and Designs in the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Adetokunbo Sogbesan, said on Saturday, August 25, 2018 in Lagos said that the Carter Bridge is structurally okay and safe for use.
Third Mainland Bridge
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a portion of the outer walls of the bridge outbound Iddo link road was dented.
Sogbesan told journalists during an inspection of the bridge that some tests had been conducted and that the bridge is structurally okay and safe for use.
He said vehicles carrying excess load beyond the headwall of the bridge had knocked off outer slabs meant to beautify the bridge.
He explained that the beams of the bridge had hollows which were covered by slabs but that vehicles carrying loads beyond their headroom pulled off some outer covering of the bridge.
“We are here to allay the fears of Lagosians about the Carter Bridge. This bridge was commissioned in July 1958, that is, over 60 years ago.
“And it was constructed by Borini Prono Nigeria Ltd. The method of construction used is that the beams have hollows.
“The hollows are spaces. The structurally stability of the bridge both longitudinal and diagonal beams are structurally okay but for aesthetics measures the beams were covered with reinforced walls.
“It is the walls that are broken. We have been here before to examine and inspect the bridge and we are to confirm that structurally, the bridge is okay,” Sogbesan said.
Sogbesan also said that barricades would be put on Iddo link road where the problem occurred to ensure that only cars and buses use the road to avert damage to the bridge.
According to the director, the link road was originally built by Lagos State Government to allow cars and buses pass through the Third Mainland and Carter bridges to the Island.
Sogbesan warned all illegal occupants encroaching under the bridge to quit, saying they will soon be evacuated.
“All illegal occupants under this bridge must leave, the abuse on this bridge to stop.
“We will start enforcement immediately, we would issue notices and we are going to enforce it. We are going to evict every illegal occupant under the bridge. We don’t want abuses on the bridges again.
“We must move them out and we are going to collaborate with Lagos State,” he said.
Mr Gainrranco Albertazzi, Joint Managing Director, Borini Prono, who confirmed that the bridge was constructed by the firm in 1958, saidthe Carter Bridge was not damaged.
“It is only the damage done by a vehicle carrying some loads that should not have passed through the bridge, but the main beam is structurally intact.
“What has been touched is the cover which is of a small thickness which is not too important.
“More so, this first beam is only carrying the pedestrian lane, it is not carrying any vehicular traffic,” he also told journalists.
He said there was no cause for alarm as the bridge’s slab could easily be replaced.
He stressed the need to speed up the construction of the barricades to stop further damage beyond the slabs.
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Mr Adedamola Kuti, said a task force was being set up to dislodge illegal occupants under all the bridges in Lagos.
“We are going to evict illegal occupants of our infrastructure.”
While inspecting the Third Mainland Bridge, he said significant progress had been made on the testing of the expansion joints.
Kuti said: “We have gone very far, we have made appreciable progress as far as this investigative test is concerned.
“We have made substantial progress; our target is that tomorrow (Sunday) we will make the Third Mainland Bridge accessible.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that workmen moved some equipment and censors on the bridge as they tested the expansion joints with security agents guarding the bridge on all sides.
However, youths and children used both carriageways on the Owonronsoki end of the bridge that has been barricaded to play football.
The 11.8km bridge was closed to traffic on Aug. 24 for investigative maintenance tests and it is expected to be reopened to traffic on Sunday, Aug. 26.
