The Katsina State Commissioner for Environment, Hamza Faskari, has said the state government has expended N7 billion to tackle ecological challenges in 118 communities across the state.
Speaking at a due diligence and implementation support mission of the World Bank Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) in Katsina recently, Faskari said so far over 3,000 communities have raised concerns over ecological problems.
He said, even before the NEWMAP, the state had been implementing various projects to combat gully erosion and flood, noting that over 3,000 complaints from communities were received and were being attended to in phases.
“From 2015 to 2017, we have addressed these challenges in 118 communities at a cost of over N6 billion,” he stated.
He announced that government was working towards establishing an erosion and flood management agency to continue with the work when the NEWMAP project exits.
