Gov Bala flags off N29b erosion control project in Bauchi

Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, on Wednesday, performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the N29.69 billion flood and erosion control measures, including stabilisation and channelisation project from Tsohon Kampani to Gwallagan Mayaka in Bauchi LGA of Bauchi State under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project initiative.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the Sabon Kaura community part of the project, the Governor, explained that the project will address gully erosion and uncontrolled stormwater channels running from Tsohon Kamfani to Gwallagan Mayaka communities.

Bala Mohammed said the State Government had paid 40% of the contract sum as mobilisation to Triacta Nigeria Limited and that the full amount was readily available.

He also said that the contractor had no excuse not to complete the project as scheduled, stressing, “This event is far more than the commencement of a construction project.”

According to him, “It represents another bold milestone in our administration’s commitment to sustainable development, environmental protection, urban renewal, public health, economic growth, and the well-being of our people.”

The Governor also said that the intervention was a key component of the Bauchi Urban Renewal Project and aligns with Bauchi Project II, aimed at modernizing infrastructure and building climate-resilient communities.

Bala Mohammed stressed that what began as small stormwater pathways had expanded into erosion corridors up to 60 metres wide and 50 metres deep, destroying homes, farmlands, roads, and livelihoods.

He said the project is expected to restore 9,842 hectares of degraded land and provide protection for more than 213,000 people.

Bala Mohammed commended Triacta Nigeria Limited for taking on the job and acknowledged the support of the World Bank, the federal government, and the ACReSAL project team led by State Project Coordinator Dr. Ibrahim Kabir.

He stressed the need for community involvement in implementation and monitoring.

“Deepening stakeholding means ensuring that those you think are nothing are part and parcel of project implementation and monitoring and evaluation”, he said.

READ ALSO: NGO seeks more youth training in AI, robotics innovation

“Over 213,000 Residents to Benefit from Bauchi Flood Mitigation Project.”

Bala Mohammed described the project as a historic intervention aimed at addressing decades of environmental degradation, flooding and erosion threatening lives and property across affected communities.

The Governor explained that the World Bank-supported project being implemented in collaboration with the Federal Government and Bauchi State Government aligns with his administration’s urban renewal and environmental sustainability agenda under the “My Bauchi Project” vision.

According to him, the devastating gullies and uncontrolled flood channels stretching from Tsohon Kamfani, Sabon Kaura, Wuntin Dada, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Tambari Housing Estate down to Gwallagan Mayaka had for years posed serious danger to residents, infrastructure and economic activities.

The Governor noted that what initially appeared as minor storm water pathways had expanded into massive erosion corridors measuring over sixty meters wide and fifty meters deep in some locations, destroying homes, farmlands, roads and livelihoods while exposing thousands of residents to fear and uncertainty during every rainy season.

He further explained that the intervention would not only tackle erosion and flooding, but would also improve public health, security and economic opportunities by reclaiming degraded lands, improving drainage systems and reducing mosquito-breeding environments responsible for malaria and other waterborne diseases.

The Governor said the project is expected to restore about nine thousand eight hundred and forty-two hectares of impacted land, provide protection to over two hundred and thirteen thousand residents and channel more than forty million cubic meters of water annually for irrigation and other productive uses.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Housing and Environment, Danlami Ahmed Kawule, described the project as another milestone in the infrastructure and urban renewal drive of the Bala Mohammed administration.

In a separate goodwill message, the Managing Director of Triacta Nigeria Limited, Elias Abu Farha, commended the Bauchi State Government and development partners for initiating the project, assuring of quality execution in line with global engineering standards and specifications.

Also, the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, represented by the Wazirin Bauchi, Alhaji Uba Kari, applauded the intervention and urged benefiting communities to support the contractors and protect public infrastructure for sustainable development.