By George Coben, Bauchi
Erosion and flood disasters have been twin natural occurrences that residents in affected areas normally expect with trepidation at the on set of the rainy season.
These have been the lot of residents of Tsohon Kampani, along Jos road, to Gwallagan Mayaka, in Bauchi LGA of Bauchi State, for sometime now.
But there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel with the Bauchi State government’s erosion and flood control measures whose ground breaking ceremony was performed on wednesday by the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, to cover the affected communities.
The Governor said that the #29.6 billion project is among the many interventions his administration has partnered the World Bank to execute through the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, ACReSAL, initiative.
“I assure the benefitting communities that government has since paid 40% of the contract sum as mobilization to Triacta Nig Ltd and the full amount is readily available,” the Governor explained, adding that the contractor has no excuse not to complete the project as scheduled.
He said that the intervention is a key component of the Bauchi Urban Renewal Project, which aligns with Bauchi Project II, aimed at modernizing infrastructure and building climate- resilient communities.
While lamenting that what began as small stormwater pathways had expanded into erosion corridors up 60 meters wide and 50 meters deep, destroying homes , farmlands, roads, and livelihoods, Governor Mohammed said the project is expected to restore 9,842 hectares of degraded land and provide protection for more than 213,000 people.
The Governor who commended Triacta Nig Ltd for taking on the job and acknowledged the support of the World Bank, the Federal Government, and the ACReSAL project team, led by the state project coordinator, Dr. Ibrahim Kabir, stressed the need for community involvement in implementation and monitoring.
