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.. Says Incidents of Flooding Can Be Reduced With Good Environmental Attitude
As the Lagos State Government joins other environment-friendly governments across the globe to celebrate this year’s World Environment Day, a call has gone out to Lagosians to embrace positive attitude towards the environment as the only way to mitigate the effects of some natural environmental issues across the metropolis.
The General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, (LASEPA), Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, made the call during this year’s celebration of the World Environment Day to draw public attention to the need to pay greater attention to the environment.
Speaking at the event held at the Lekki Conservation Centre, (LCC) Lekki, Lagos and tagged “Biodiversity – A Time for Nature”, she renewed the call for conservation of the natural resources, considering the myriad of environmental and health crises currently ravaging the entire globe.
According to her, the incidents of flooding recorded in some parts of the State were the outcome of the torrential downpour, as well as the unfriendly attitude of residents towards the environment.
She noted that if good attitudes towards the environment are cultivated, coupled with the relentless efforts of the State’s Ministry of the Environment to desilt drainage and canals, little or no cases of flooding will be witnessed subsequently.
While decrying the alarming rate at which the biodiversity is being destroyed, the General Manager stated that human activities cannot be separated from the ravaging environmental and health crises going around the world as our actions and inactions have caused an imbalance in the ecosystem with overwhelming consequences.
“The time is ripe to reposition and commence the act of restoration and conservation of our natural resources for the coming generation”, Dr. Fasawe asserted.
She averred that the distortion to the environment, as well the biological diversity, necessitated the alteration in the cycle of life, saying that “From the displacement of faunas and floras for economic gains, climate change because of pollution and indiscriminate tree-felling, amongst others, has led to a disruption of the food chain, extinction of endangered species and health impairment”.
The General Manager added that the way forward in curbing the loss of biodiversity includes a reduction in the rate of the destruction of the natural habitat of species, adoption of alternate forms of agriculture i.e. old farm use methods, strengthening of available laws and legislation to protect natural habitat and species amongst others.
She also implored the media to partner with the State government, through LASEPA, to give more publicity on the need to preserve biodiversity for future generations.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Mrs. Belinda Odeneye, who was represented at the event by Mrs. Monsurat Banire, noted the need for additional efforts to preserve and sustain the environment.
BA/TMS/OS
