Don urges government to regulate sand excavation

A university lecturer, Dr Faith Ekong, has urged the Akwa Ibom Government to regulate the excavation of sand in the state in order to safeguard the environment.

Ekong, who is the Head of Department, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Uyo, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Sunday.

She said that there was no regulation to sand excavation in the state and this had led to land degradation and pollution of sources of natural water supply.

“In Akwa Ibom there is no regulation to mining of sand. Dredgers just get to site and dredge indiscriminately not minding the environmental impact on the community,” she said.

“Almost all the villages rely on wetland for portable water and water for other uses, but when they mine, it impacts negatively on the people of the state.

“It leads to the silting of water. By the time they dredge the water it is actually polluted and the impact is very high.

“When they finish mining they leave the pit and don’t cover it. The land becomes useless and the people cannot farm on it anymore,’’ she said.

Ekong said that government should create awareness to let the people realise the depth of the hazards the activity posed to the environment and the dwellers.

“We at the receiving end are supposed to be well informed about it. We are also supposed to play our role as individuals to safeguard the environment,’’ she said.

Ekong called on the State Government to enforce policy that would control the dredging of mining of solid minerals in the state.