Why Soludo Wants Anambra Homes to Have Catch Pits — Commissioner Mefor
By Lilian Ezejiegu
The Anambra State Government has unveiled a series of measures aimed at tackling flooding, erosion and other forms of environmental degradation across the state, with greater emphasis on personal responsibility and enforcement of environmental laws.
The Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr Law Mefor, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with journalists in his office in Awka on September 1, explaining the rationale behind Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s environmental focus during the state’s 35th anniversary.
Mefor said the anniversary was deliberately centred on the environment as part of the administration’s determination to build a “clean and green Anambra” while confronting erosion, flooding and the human activities contributing to the problems.
According to him, residents contribute significantly to environmental degradation through indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainages, building across drainage and water channels, failure to desilt gutters and waterways, and indiscriminate felling of trees without replacement.
He said deforestation had reduced vegetation that naturally helps to slow the movement of floodwater, stressing the need for residents to replace felled trees through deliberate tree-planting efforts.
The Commissioner also highlighted the increasing practice of covering entire compounds with concrete and interlocking stones, which prevents rainwater from naturally penetrating the soil and increases surface runoff.
Mefor explained that Governor Soludo was therefore advocating for households to provide catch pits, traditionally known as “Omi,” in their compounds to collect runoff water, while also leaving portions of their compounds open to allow water to percolate into the soil.
He said the measures were particularly important as several communities across Anambra, including Onitsha, Obosi, Umuawulu and other areas, had experienced serious flooding and erosion during the current rainy season.
The Commissioner noted that the Governor had also led a tree-planting campaign at Solution City, Awka, as part of efforts to sensitize residents to the environmental challenges facing the state and encourage collective action.
Mefor said the administration would move beyond sensitisation to enforcement, noting that several of the practices contributing to flooding and erosion are already criminalised under the Anambra Environmental Protection Law.
He stressed that the coming weeks and months would therefore witness stronger enforcement of the environmental laws as the government intensifies efforts to protect the state from flooding, erosion and other environmental threats.
He said the message behind the 35th anniversary theme, “Our Environment, Our Future is a Call for Personal Responsibility and Collective Action,” was that government alone could not solve the environmental challenges, urging Ndi Anambra to take responsibility for protecting their immediate environment.
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