Interlocking increases erosion menace – NEWMAP

The Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) has warned against the use of interlocking and pebble stones to beautify the environment, saying that latest discovery shows it is responsible for the increasing level of erosion in the country.
 It said it is rather safer and more environment friendly to plant gardens or carpet grasses to enable water to sink.
The project coordinator of the project in Anambra State, Michael Ivenso, disclosed this during the first stakeholders’ engagement workshop in Awka, to sensitise the stakeholders and the communities affected by erosion on the activities of NEWMAP and how best to prevent and tackle erosions.
He said: “People should stop using interlocking or pebble stones in their environments. This is because it encourages accumulation of rainwater, which in turn causes erosion by the time the large volume flows into the streets. It does not allow for immediate sinking of rainwater into the ground, hence, it encourages erosion.
“It is safer and more environmentally friendly to plant gardens or carpet grasses to enable water sink. It is better we stick to this in the interest of our environment,” he added.
Ivenso also condemned harmful environmental practices like bush burning, reckless dumping of refuse, open defecation, illegal excavation of sand and blocking of flood channels, saying these should be stopped forthwith.