Share & more
The Federal Government has taken measures to stop desertification in the northern part of the country in the next 5-10 years, Friday’s edition of ‘The Guardian’ reported Environment Minister Mohammed Kabir Saidu as saying.
He said that desertification and other related ecological problems had affected the lives and property of people in the northern states of Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.
The project, known as the “Green Shelter Belt” (GSB) and estimated to cost some three billion naira (US $25 million), will include the planting of millions of tree seedlings this year and the sinking of several boreholes to ensure their survival and growth, ‘The Guardian’ reported.
The GSB, to run for some 1,500 km, will serve as protection against the southern Sahara winds and act as a stabilising agent for the fragile desert soils. It will reduce soil and gulley erosions and stop the movement of sand dunes which often endanger the lives of the local population, some of whom, Siadu added, will be involved in the project.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions