By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State Flood, Erosion and Watershed Management Agency (EDOFEWMA) has called for early intervention in erosion-prone areas to prevent incipient gullies from developing into major disasters.
The Chief Executive Officer of EDOFEWMA, Mr. Mohammed Okoyomoh, made the call on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ engagement on soil, erosion control and stabilisation by University of Lagos team in Benin.
Okoyomoh said the meeting, which brought together experts and stakeholders, was aimed at finding practical and sustainable solutions to erosion and flooding challenges across the state.
He said the agency had identified several massive gullies across the three senatorial districts, stressing that early intervention remained critical to preventing smaller erosion sites from becoming catastrophic.
According to him, EDOFEWMA has completed more than 35 designs for erosion control projects across the state, following the mandate and support of Gov. Monday Okpebholo.
“Erosion control is not something you just jump into. You need a comprehensive design before you can solve the problem,” he said.
Okoyomoh said designs had been completed for several erosion sites, including those in Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North, while the agency was waiting for the rains to subside before commencing civil works on some of the projects.
He also said the agency had recorded progress in addressing flooding in areas such as Ikpoba, where drainage and underground infrastructure had improved the flow of storm water.
He said the state government had also channeled water from the Tempoga area into the river, thereby reducing the risk of flooding within the affected catchment.
On his part, Prof. Lukeman Adams, Director, Central Research and Reference Laboratory, University of Lagos, said the university’s team had visited Edo about a year ago, during which it collected soil samples from the three senatorial districts for research.
Adams said the objective was to develop a home-grown solution for tackling incipient erosion and gully erosion before they became massive and catastrophic.
He said the team had returned to Edo to demonstrate an integrated soil stabilisation approach involving nano-silica, nanotechnology and organic soil vegetation.
According to him, the approach is designed to bind loose soil particles, make the soil denser and more compact, and prevent it from being easily washed away.
Adams said the solution was safe because its components were naturally found in soil, noting that Nano-silica was derived from silica, which is present in sand.
He said the proposed technology would complement the efforts of EDOFEWMA by providing an additional approach to tackling erosion at its early stages.
“What we are advocating is that before it gets to those big, massive problems, let us arrest the problem,” he said.
Mr Johnson Adamu, Special Adviser to the Gov. Monday Okpebholo on Environment and Sustainability, said environmental protection remained a key responsibility of government and required collective action.
Adamu said the expertise and recommendations presented by the university professors would contribute to strengthening the state’s existing roadmap for erosion control.
He said the state government would study the recommendations and explore ways of integrating applicable solutions into its ongoing efforts to address flooding and erosion across Edo.