Britons enjoyed sweltering heat for the third day running on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius in Wales.
Tuesday saw temperatures reaching over 30C
The temperature is possibly set to hit record June highs this week, the Meteorological Office said.
Twitter and Facebook were replete with dogs bathing in fountains and rivers, some even wearing sunglasses and hats.
The Meteorological Office said: “With temperatures into the low thirties over the next couple of days, there is a chance we could beat Northern Ireland’s all-time record of 30.8 degrees and Scotland’s June record of 32.2 degrees.”
Portmadog in North Wales was the hottest place at 30.6 degrees, with Tuesday in general only a shade below Monday’s highs, while temperatures are expected to peak on Thursday at around 32 degrees.
Britain’s highest-ever temperature for June was 35.6 C recorded in the southern port of Southampton in 1976.
A high pressure system is expected to stay over most of Britain into next week and health and emergency services are offering tips on staying cool.
Police were issuing open-water warnings to stop people tempted to bathe unsafely and several wildfires were reported in northern England.
The heatwave had yet to reach Scotland’s northernmost Shetland Islands, however, where temperatures were around 15 C and skies cloudy.
Shetland Library tweeted: “Went out for an ice cream at lunchtime, to celebrate that everyone ELSE in the country is having a #scorchio #heatwave.”
The Federal Government says the National Water Resources Bill will be beneficial to all Nigerians, whenever it is signed into law.
Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources
Minister of Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, said this on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at the National Consultative Conference on Water-Use Regulations, Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement Framework in Abuja.
Adamu said that the bill would regulate the water sector in the country, adding, however, that even though water laws had been in existence since 2006, the bill was drafted in 2008.
“I have made a statement on this bill to the media some time ago.
“Also, other stakeholders in the water sector have been commenting in the media, trying to explain what this bill is all about.
“It appears that many people have not even read about the bill; they don’t understand it before coming out to comment publicly about it.
“We have said that there is nothing new about it, as we have existing water laws; there are four existing laws that we have been consolidated into the new document.
“The laws include the Water Resources Act of 2014, the National Water Resources Institute Act, the River Basin Act and Nigeria Hydrological Services Act.
“We just introduced the concept of Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management, in line with the new water resources policy,’’ he said.
Adamu said that members of the Senate had asked all the relevant questions about the bill, while the key officials of the ministry had also responded to the enquiries.
He added that the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, had already set up committees to look at all the issues presented by the ministry concerning the content of the bill.
The minister commended the chairmen and members of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Water Resources for their interest and enthusiasm in the National Water Bill.
Adamu said that the conference was apt, as it would address some of the critical issues which were also captured in the bill.
“The conference is being organised at the right time; its theme is apt; this is further reinforced with the approval of the Water Use and Licence Regulation of 2016.
“This regulation has spelt out water licensable activities and gave the responsibility of issuing licences to the Nigeria Integrated Water Resource Management Commission (NIWRMC).
“The commission has drawn up relevant criteria for the issuance of such water permits for the corporate governance of the water sector in the country.
“The criteria are to protect, conserve, control water resources for equitable and sustainable socio-economic development as well as to maintain environmental integrity.
“Also, the criteria are to ensure that public water services were supplied efficiently and economically, in accordance with standards that reasonably meet the social, industrial and commercial needs of Nigerians across the nation,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Mr Reuben Habu, the Executive Director, NIWRMC, said that the regulation of the water resources sector derived its origin and power from Section 19 of the Water Resources Act.
Habu also said that there was nothing new in the National Water Resources Bill.
He noted that the bill was already before the National Assembly, adding that it was an amalgamation of all the extant laws on water resources in the country.
He said that NIWRMC, in the course of carrying out its statutory responsibilities, observed that there were some overlapping functions and responsibilities among different government agencies.
“The commission, therefore, saw the need to bring together all relevant stakeholders to rub minds and understand each other’s distinct roles and responsibilities.
“The commission also recognised the need to synergise for improved efficiency in water sector regulation in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Also, Dr Lawrence Anukam, Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), said that NESREA was also monitoring pollution as part of its mandate in the water resources sector.
Anukam said that the effort was to protect watersheds and catchment areas by controlling activities which were inconsistent with good land management practices in vulnerable areas across the country.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference, which was organised by NIWRMC, had “Regulating Water Resources for Sustainable Development in Nigeria’’ as its theme.
Nigeria can attract more global funding to tackle the array of environmental disasters affecting different parts of the country by keying into the five focal areas of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the body in charge of all donor funds for addressing pressing environmental issues.
This was the submission of senior officials of the GEF while interacting with fellows of the Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN), who are covering the ongoing sixth GEF Assembly in Da Nang City, Vietnam.
Correspondent Innocent Onoh, who is among the fellows, reports that environmental projects by countries which are executed with global funds are decided at the GEF Assembly that is held every four years.
A cross-section of stakeholders who met in Calabar in Cross River State to explore inherent management opportunities have resolved to sustainably utilise fuel wood in order to add value to the commodity and ensure a healthy and pollution-free environment.
Resource persons and participants from project states at the Sustainable Fuel Wood Management (SFM) Business Forum for Woodlot Developers, Fuelwood Dealers, Efficient Woodstoves Makers and Sellers and MFIs in Calabar, Cross River State
At the Sustainable Fuel Wood Management (SFM) Business Forum for Woodlot Developers, Fuelwood Dealers, Efficient Woodstoves Makers and Sellers and MFIs held from Tuesday, June 19 to Thursday, June 21, 2018, fuelwood value chain actors listed their strategies to include preservation of forest resources, production of a variety of environment-friendly and energy efficient stoves, effective marketing of their products, and the execution of an active business plan.
The forum held courtesy of the “Sustainable Fuel Wood Management (SFM) in Nigeria”, a five-year (2017-2022) project being implemented by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the Federal Ministry of Environment and other supporting stakeholders.
The three-day forum, according to the promoters of the project, created an opportunity for the players to interact and know themselves and exchange experiences, develop skills, and share knowledge and ideas on innovative business and financing models.
“The event focused on the: establishment of smallholder farmers-managed woodlot; establishment of sustainable fuel wood markets; promotion of energy-efficient woodstoves through market based approaches with community-based micro-credits to incentivise woodlot owners and end-users of cookstoves,” said Okon Ekpenyong, the SFM Project Team Leader and National Coordinator.
A consultant, Dr. D. O. Ladipo, in his presentation that explored the establishment of woodlots as a business enterprise, advised the practitioners to discuss business plan with support of the state coordinator and a microfinance bank.
“In the case of community woodlot, intensive discussions amongst members must have taken place. Remember to include youths and female members of community to have adequate balance on all fronts,” he said.
While listing tree species selection for the project in Delta, Cross River and Kaduna states, Dr Ladipo emphasised that location, design and components of the tree are to be considered when setting up a nursery.
He singled out the Gmelina arborea as an example of a tree species suitable for fuelwood/woodlot planting because, according to him, it is fast growing, can be coppiced easily and several times, yields high volume and has high wood calorific value.
In a presentation titled: “Business and Financing Model for Efficient Woodstoves /Woodlot in Nigeria”, Sir Daniel Ugbama of the Association of Non-Bank Microfinance Institutions of Nigeria (ANMFIN), noted that experience would be leveraged with small groups in trading and crop production financing to woodstove and woodlot financing.
Efficient woodstove, he said, implied the use of woodstoves that emit low smoke or not at all, and that the consumption of the wood is within the reach of an average family living within N500 income daily.
Woodlot, he added, involves the planting and management of trees in groups in an efficient way so that wood is extracted for the purpose of fuel particularly for the low income earners.
“Poverty alleviation will radically receive a boost if efficient woodstoves are encouraged and wood lot practice for fuel is evolved in Nigeria. Micro finance functions better in an environment where all stakeholders are up to their own responsibility, bringing a collective energy for the purpose of providing the necessary reliefs for the low income earner,” said Ugbama.
Speaking on charcoal production and strategies to enhance its sustainability, Ruth Akagu of SRPO BirdLife/CEPF RIT believes that, for charcoal production to be a sustainable enterprise, practitioners should:
Cultivate in local level institutions a greater and keen interest in the management of forests
Establish a conducive policy environment for local level institutions to manage forests
Facilitate the development of local rules and guidelines for managing forests for charcoal production
Improve the processes along the production chain to minimise waste
A paradigm shift from woody biomass to biomass waste
Step up research on adoption and use of alternative feedstock or biomass waste for charcoal production e.g., saw dust, bamboo. Anything organic can be converted into charcoal briquettes.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted prospects of thunderstorms and rains over the central states such as Bida, Mambila Plateau, Makurdi, Minna, Ilorin and Lafia axis in the morning of Tuesday, June 26, 2018.
Thunderstorms
NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Monday, June 25 also predicted day and night temperatures in the range of 23 to 32 and 16 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.
It added that chances of thunderstorms and rains were likely over Abuja, Minna, Lafia, Lokoja, Jos and Mambila Plateau later in the day.
The agency predicted that the Southeastern states such as Enugu, Awka, Owerri, Abakaliki and Obudu would experience morning thunderstorms and rains with day and night temperatures of 29 to 32 and 22 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.
It also predicted prospects thunderstorms and rains over southwestern states like Lagos, Abeokuta, Iseyin, Akure, Ado-Ekiti, Shaki, and Osogbo throughout the forecast period with day and night temperatures of 27 to 30 and 21 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.
NiMet further predicted morning thunderstorms and rains over the south-south cities like Benin, Calabar Uyo, Yenagoa and Portharcourt with day and night temperatures of 29 to 30 and 22 to 23 degrees respectively.
According to NiMet, Northern States would experience chances of thunderstorms and rains over Maiduguri, Potiskum, Yelwa, Nguru, Dutse, Gombe and Bauchi during the morning hours while other cities are likely to remain under cloudy conditions.
“However, Sokoto, Kano, Yelwa, Dutse, Gombe, Yobe, Katsina and Bauchi will have prospects of thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours with day and night temperatures of 29 to 32 and 21 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively.
“There are prospects of thunderstorms and rains across the country within the next 72 hours,” NiMet says.
The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has given priority to irrigation and water supply sector in its 2018 budget of N155 billion, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources
President Muhammadu Buhari had presented the budget to the joint session of the National Assembly for consideration since Nov. 7, 2017.
Mr President had also on Wednesday, June 20 signed into law the 2018 budget of N9.12 trillion, after being passed by the National Assembly.
A look at the budget showed that the Zobe Water Supply Project in Katsina State has N1.8 billion toward the completion of the phases 1 and 2.
The Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) project, which is aimed at scaling up access to water and sanitation, has N1 billion for its execution.
Over N53 billion was, however, budgeted for provision of water supply, rehabilitation of dams, and irrigation projects nationwide.
In their reactions, some stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector opined that full implementation of the budget should be pursued with vigour.
Mr Victor Olaomi, Coordinator, Alliance for Water and Sanitation, an NGO, said it was important for all tiers of government to implement policies and programmes that would improve citizens’ lives.
According to him, the group will set up machinery to monitor the implementation of the budget in the sector.
“We call for the full implementation of the provisions of the 2018 budget in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, this is crucial for development to be felt at all tiers of government.”
Mr Benson Attah, National Coordinator, Society for Water and Sanitation in Nigeria (NEWSAN), wondered why the ministry allocated N1 billion to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector in the 2018 budget.
“The 2018 budgetary allocation to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources could be likened to a situation where a parent would just get any playing object for a weeping child in order to engage the child’s attention to enable him/her go about other more important issues.
“In the document prepared by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources on the over view of water, sanitation and hygiene, the ministry claimed that Nigeria requires $2.74 billion annually to achieve 100 per cent access to basic water supply and sanitation services by 2030.
“How then would the Federal Government justify its allocation of N1 billion to PEWASH in the 2018 budget?
‘‘This is grossly low and far away from reality and not to even talk about commitment to improved WASH service delivery.
“NEWSAN hereby call on the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Federal Government to remedy this gross mistake or gross over sight, government should not forget that this is a contradiction to the earlier provision.”
Attah added that this could not be attainable following the value of the current exchange rate to be over N900 billion.
He said the Federal Government ought not to come up with a defence that the state would contribute the balance.
He buttressed his position with state governments’ failure to honour commitments entered into with their development partners.
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) stressed on Monday, June 25, 2018 Africa’s commitment to strengthen the momentum in the implementation of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Fatima Denton, ECA’s Director of Special Initiatives Division
The ECA further stressed that the continent would speak with one voice during the upcoming High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) to be held at the UN headquarters in July.
The HLPF, which will be held in New York from July 9 to July 18, is expected to review implementation of some of the SDGs, including the SDGs Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation, Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy, Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities, Goal 12 on responsible consumption and production, Goal 15 on life on land and Goal 17 on partnerships for the goals, according to the ECA.
“The ECA and its partners will take to the HLPF Africa’s position as agreed by stakeholders at the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) that was held in Dakar, Senegal, in May,” said Fatima Denton, ECA’s Director of Special Initiatives Division, on Monday.
“The key messages that came from the ARFSD will serve as Africa’s collective regional input to the annual high-level political forum,” Denton said.
According to the ECA, Africa needs to mobilise between $600 billion and $1.2 trillion annually if the continent is to achieve its targets as set in Agenda 2030 and its 50-year development plan, Agenda 2063.
Sylvain Boko, Head of the Development Planning and Statistics Cluster in the ECA’s Capacity Development Division (CDD), also stressed the need to join efforts in mobilising resources so as to strengthen the continent’s momentum in achieving the SDGs.
“Achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda requires a revitalised and enhanced global partnership that brings together governments, civil society, the private sector, the UN system and other actors and mobilises all available resources,” said Boko.
According to the ECA, the ARFSD is an inter-governmental and multi-stakeholder platform to review progress, share experiences and lessons learned and build a consensus to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
The ARFSD with regard to clean water and sanitation agreed that water is critical to achieving Africa’s desire of fast economic growth, which will lead to the attainment of a continent free of poverty and hunger, as encapsulated in Agendas 2030 and 2063, according to the ECA.
“The continent lags behind in access to clean water and decent sanitation services,” the ECA said.
“This has serious implications, including for the health and productivity of the people in the region, and undermines their capacity to cope with various shocks.”
The ARFSD recommended the full and effective implementation of the African Water Vision 2025 was crucial to addressing the multiple challenges, enhancing access to water and strengthening integrated water resources management on the continent.
With an increasing population and demand for socioeconomic development, water resources in Africa are projected to become a source of tension, conflict, environmental degradation and vulnerability, it was noted.
“For every SDG we discussed at the ARFSD we will be able to provide regional input to discussions at the HLPF with one voice as we seek ways together to effectively implement the SDGs to eliminate poverty and inequality,” said Denton.
She also stressed that “Africa was more than ready and committed to doing more in the implementation of the sustainable development goals.”
The ECA also revealed on Monday that it will hold a continental High-Level policy dialogue on development in Egypt’s capital Cairo from 10-12 July to evaluate resources and implementation of the SDGs.
The high-level policy dialogue, which will be held under the theme “Financing the SDGs in Africa: Strategies for Planning and Resource Mobilisation,” is expected to provide a platform for African development planners and finance experts to discuss and deliberate on strategies for financing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Africa, it was noted.
The high-level dialogue, among other things, is also expected to assess funding requirements and gaps for realising the SDGs in Africa; identify domestic and international funding sources, including innovative ones for SDG financing in Africa; enable African countries to exchange experiences on mobilising resources, including good practices and lessons, it was indicated.
An environmentalist, Mr Victor Asobo, has urged the Benue State Government to establish a pollution control board to facilitate efforts to protect the environment and people’s health.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on a flood assessment tour of Makurdi
Asobo, the Chief Executive Officer, VIKTUWA Environment Managers Ltd., made the call on Monday, June 25, 2018 in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
He said that the proposed board should be directly responsible for the regulation and control of air, water and land pollution in the state.
Asobo said that the establishment of the board would aid efforts to contain the growing water and land pollution in the Wadata River bank as well as the Makurdi North Bank and High-Level areas, among other neighbourhoods across the state.
“It is necessary to create such a board because the outcome of the growing water and land pollution in those areas could be terrible.
“We have only one environment and if we don’t protect it; then, we are heading for doom,’’ he added.
Asobo said that the creation of a pollution control board was crucial to efforts to protect the environment, adding Kaduna and Lagos states, for instance, already had a similar agency in place.
“The board will be responsible for the control of air, water and land pollution. It will also take the responsibility of environmental pollution control off the sanitation agency.
“The work on the protection of the environment is beyond the capacity of the current agency, Benue State Environmental Sanitation Authority (BENSESA).
“This is a wakeup call for our policy makers,” he added.
Asobo said that whenever policies were strengthened, action plans would be drawn, while specific responsibilities would be attached to every action.
He underscored the need for the government and the private sector to work together in efforts to safeguard the environment from all forms of pollution.
He, however, urged government and other relevant stakeholders to initiate policies and programmes that could help to mitigate the impact of plastic pollution and other forms of pollution on the ecosystem.
The Third UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, in December 2017 noted that one in four of all deaths worldwide, or 12.6 million people, in a year could be attributed to environmental pollution.
The Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAM) says conditions of operation in Lagos State have become unsuitable and undermining its members’ jobs.
Lagos waste PSP operators at work
Chairman of AWAM, Mr Oladipo Egbeyemi, said on Sunday, June 24, 2018 that there was an effort to undermine AWAM members, popularly known as Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, in waste management in the state.
Egbeyemi spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that Mr Adebola Shabi, Special Adviser to the state Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode on Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), instructed the residents not to pay PSP operators for refuse evacuation.
The AWAM chairman claimed that the development was meant to arm-twist PSP operators to work under Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, an environmental utility group contracted by the Lagos State Government to implement its new integrated waste management policy encapsulated in CLI.
According to Egbeyemi, the waste managers have invested much in waste management in the state, and need to recover their investment.
”A new compactor costs over N36 million and one of our members has brought five compactors to boost waste management in the state.
”If someone invested so much, how does he recover the investment?
”Engineer Adebola Shabi goes to local governments disseminating information that communities should desist from paying PSP operators.
”He said that the residents will be furnished with operators that will be handling their refuse, thereby trying to discountenance PSP operators in that environment,” the AWAM chairman claimed.
Egbeyemi said that the terms and conditions given to the waste managers were not viable.
According to him, PSP business will collapse with such conditions.
He said that waste management was capital intensive.
”Unless we are able to recoup the money we invested, we cannot continue in the business.
”Diesel price has gone up from N180 to N190 and now N250 per liter, and we can’t increase the price of our service.
”Nobody is ready to pay the amount given to him, let alone paying a higher rate. How will the business be profitable?” the chairman asked.
Reacting, Shabi said that there was no need for residents to continue to pay PSP operators since Visionscape was paying them.
The official said that the CLI team had been sensitising the residents on waste management.
According to him, PSP operators can have special arrangements with residents of organised estates so they can be paying them.
”But in areas where Visionscape and the operators have an agreement, Visionscape is the one that will pay PSP operators to evacuate waste free of charge.
”If the residents continue paying the operators, it means the operators are being paid double.
”We have resolved issues with the PSP operators such that some of them have been co-opted to work together with Visionscape,” he said.
According to Shabi,140 PSP operators had been certified by the state government.
“It is the remaining ones who don’t have compactor that don’t want to get certified.
”In the past, we had 350 operators but 140 have been certified by government,” he said.
An Ecologist, Mr David Michael, has called for the adoption of effective mitigation measures and proper plans to prevent flooding in the country.
Flood in Lagos: The city of Lagos susceptible to flooding from rainfall
Michael, who is the Executive Director, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, June 25, 2018.
Michael noted that flooding could be controlled or prevented if there were improved drainage systems, as good drainage channels would ensure easy flow of excess water during and after rainfall.
He said that flooding could be prevented by constructing drainage and water canals, while also maintaining them.
“Flooding can be prevented in many ways but much more important is that while trying to prevent flooding, the first thing that should come to the mind should be the introduction of effective mitigation measures and proper plans.
“Flooding can be prevented through proper planning. Much of these measures should be taken in areas that are prone to flooding,’’ he added.
Michael also called for the integration of land and water management strategies so as to protect soils from erosion, salinization and other forms of degradation.
“There is need for protecting the vegetative cover, which can be a major instrument for soil conservation against wind and water erosion,’’ he said.
The ecologist underscored the need to integrate the use of land for grazing and farming where conditions were favourable, allowing for a more efficient cycling of nutrients within the agricultural systems.
Besides, Michael said that there was a need to apply a combination of traditional practices with locally acceptable and locally adapted land use technologies.
“We need to give local communities the capacity to prevent desertification and manage dry land resources effectively.
“Turning to alternative livelihoods which do not depend on traditional land uses, such as dry land aquaculture, greenhouse agriculture and tourism-related activities, is less demanding on local land and natural resources and yet, it provides sustainable income.
“There is need to create economic opportunities in dry land urban centres and in areas outside of dry lands,’’ he said.
He noted that even though flooding was a natural consequence of heavy rainfall, flooding could be aggravated by dumping of refuse into drainage channels.
He advised the people to desist from erecting buildings around watercourses because such structures could block the waterways during rainfall and thus, cause flooding.
