Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has approved the release of N500 million counterpart funds for gully erosion control project under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).
Mr Ismaila Misilli, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Governor, made the disclosure in a statement in Gombe on Thursday.
Misilli stated that the payment would help in accessing funds from the World Bank and facilitate the process of addressing gully erosion problems in the short term.
He listed areas ravaged by gully erosion in Gombe metropolis to include the State University, Federal College of Education (Technical) and East of Gombe International Hotel.
He said other areas outside of the state capital were also affected by erosion, adding that measures aimed at addressing the problem had been approved by the World Bank.
Meanwhile, Gombe State’s NEWMAP Project Coordinator, Malam Mohammed Garba, said detailed engineering work had commenced on the projects.
He added that the establishment of wood lot – orchard plantation, which is a component of the project, is underway in nine local government areas of the state.
Garba said the project would take an integrated watershed management approach to checking erosion.
