World Toilet Day 2014: UN Secretary-General's Message to the World

Credit: www.sanitationdrive2015.org

Each year, more than 800,000 children under five die needlessly from diarrhoea — more than one child a minute.  Countless others fall seriously ill, with many suffering long-term health and developmental consequences.  Poor sanitation and hygiene are the primary cause. 

Flood Safety Tips

Now the flood is here… stay safe

Flood Safety Tips

Floods are relatively common in Nigeria  and also destructive as we experienced in the country in 2012 and 2013. It is pertinent we get informed with hands on flood safety tips and get prepared for a flood. knowing what to do when floods occur can protect your property and reduce the number of casualties.

             Be prepared

·         Being prepared for the possibility of a flood is very important ,especially those that reside in flood plain area.

·         Keep always listen or read about rain and flood predictions about your area.

·         Inform your family of the closest safe areas that are suitable for seeking refuge from floods, and they should know several different routes to access the safe location.

·         Develop modalities with your family on how to exit the house in case of a flood and where to go and meet in the event that you become separated.

·         Ensure all valuables are kept in safe location elsewhere during this season.

·         Having some basic essentials on hand like non-perishable food, bottled water and flashlights with extra batteries is a good idea.

·         Clear all drainage around you.

                    Transportation

·         Study your area by knowing some risk prone locations like gullies, unsafe electrical installations, ditches etc.

·         During floods will definitely find it difficult in moving around due to streets and roads that are overflowing with water. If you know there is a chance of flooding from an oncoming storm, evacuate safe areas to avoid the effects of the flood.

·          If you must drive in a flooded area, don't try to drive across flooded road, as the water may be much deeper than you expect.

·          Don't attempt to cross areas where water is flowing, as flowing water can cause erosion and landslides and may carry vehicles or people away with the current. If you are in a vehicle that becomes stranded in a foot or two of water, leave the vehicle and seek safe ground.

                       More tips

·         do not drink flood water,

·         do not walk or swim through moving flood water

·         During a flood monitor, social media, radio or TV news coverage of the flood whenever possible to get an idea of the worst flooded areas and when it might be safe to return home.

·         After a flood, do not be in a hurry to move back to your affected apartment even if flood waters have receded. Call utility workers to check some of your utilities like electricity etc. to make sure nothing was damaged in the flood. Be wary of downed power lines and other fallen objects and debris.

·         If your home was affected by the flood, attempt to dry everything out as quickly as possible and clean things that got wet. 

      safety consciousness should be your priority . stay safe and the picture below won't be your portion ..

Call for applications -- Clean Cooking Loan Fund (the "CCLF")

 I think some of my readers may need this information.

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (“Alliance”), The Gold Standard Foundation (“Gold Standard”) and Nexus Carbon For Development (“Nexus”) have joined forces to create the Clean Cooking Loan Fund (the “CCLF”), a not-for-profit loan fund that provides cost effective loans to clean cookstove and fuels enterprises to help finance carbon certification costs.

For a full description of the CCLF please download the CCLF concept note. Read more

Nigeria: Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology laments yet another Oil Spill in Ogoniland

The attention of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology has been drawn to report of yet another oil spill in the Ogoni farming community, which strongly questions the sincerity of the oil companies to the environment and the general wellbeing of our people. It is disheartening that this spillage is coming on the heels of the yet to be implemented resolutions proposed to combat this menace in the form of the NOSDRA Amendment Bill.

This recent oil spill in Ogoni fishing community of Bunu in Tai Local Government Area is one spill too many and again, the time is high to revisit the United Nations Environment Programmme (UNEP) report, especially the independent assessment report conducted on the environment and public health impacts of oil contamination in the Niger Delta region. Our committee strongly feels that the issue before us need not be handled with kid gloves, the report findings must be implemented in record time to salvage what is left of the farmland and the general health of the community.

In the wake of previous spillages, we as a committee have demanded from NOSDRA, the Ministry of Environment and oil companies to as a matter of urgency furnish us with up-to-date information about their activities and incidents of spillages as well as the steps they are taking to combat these incessant oil spills. This recent spillage by Shell very close to the Shonghai farm in Rivers Sate has further plunged the community into serious famine and economic loss as the volume of oil spilled is yet to be quantified.

The Senate Committee on Environment is yet to receive a brief on this occurrence. ?It is imperative to get the NOSDRA Bill passed urgently, our committee will continue to push for this until the bill becomes law. The frequency of these spills and increasing oil theft is becoming worrisome, and the half-hearted approach of the agency, Ministry of Environment and the oil companies makes it difficult to carry out a thorough oversight function in the effective discharge of our duty.
We hereby urge NOSDRA to take proactive steps by furnishing the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology with the necessary details about their preliminary findings on the cause of the latest spill,  the volume of spill,  planned clean up efforts and  action plan to access impact on the areas affected and impact on the livelihood of the community.

Signed
Bamikole Omishore, SA Media to
Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki (CON)
Chairman Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology

PREDICTION: A SOLAR ECLIPSE HITS NIGERIA ON NOVEMBER 3RD 2013

NIGERIA WILL EXPERIENCE A SOLAR ECLIPSE ON NOVEMBER 3RD 2013

It has been heard that ECLIPSE of the sun will occur in some parts of the world and Nigeria is one of the countries that will experience it. It won’t happen in all states in Nigeria, it

will only occur in some states in Nigeria which includes... see them after cut

ABUJA, Lagos, Ilorin, Kaduna and some states in the northern and western part of Nigeria have been revealed to also partake also. It is revealed that it will be a partial eclipse of the sun and not full.

See HERE for more info.

Ensure Environmental Sustainability : Where do we stand?

Ensure
Environmental
Sustainability

Where do we stand?

Global greenhouse gas emissions resume their upward path, confirming the need for bold action.

Forests are a safety net for the poor, but they continue to disappear at an alarming rate.

Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by more than 46 per cent since 1990.

Nearly one third of marine fish stocks have been overexploited.

Many species are at risk of extinction, despite an increase in protected areas.

More than 2.1 billion people and almost 1.9 billon people, respectively, have gained access to improved water sources and sanitation facilities since 1990.

An estimated 863 million people reside in slums in the developing world.

Source: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2013

How to view KMZ or KML File on Mobile Devices

Your mobile devices are indeed smart, yes i said smart!
Years ago i usually depend on my PC installed Google Earth software to view KMZ and KML files and that requires the stress of going to the office or home. Now you can view your KMZ or KML files anywhere.
Google Earth has consistently been improving on mobile devices and the improvements is making life easier for Geoinformatics professionals.

this is how it works..
Firstly, ensure that Google Earth app is installed in your mobile device.

1- Google drive or dropbox: save the kml or kmz file in dropbox or google drive, then open the application in you mobile device, choose the specific kml file and open with Google earth.

Nigeria: 90 LGAs are Liable to Floods in 2013 - NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has identified 90 local government areas which are likely to be affected by floods in 2013.

The agency's Press Officer, Manzo Ezekiel, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja.
He said that the agency carried out a vulnerability study and identified 90 local government areas in states named by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Rainfall prediction 2013 to be affected by flooding.

Mr. Ezekiel said that the vulnerability study was done through NEMA's Geographical Information System.
He said that NEMA, in a partnership with a non-governmental organisation on disaster awareness creation at the grassroots, had commenced sensitisation exercise on early warnings and prevention in the affected areas.

He said that disaster awareness was also being carried out by the agency's six zonal offices in areas that were likely be affected by the floods.
Some of the states, mostly to be affected according to the NIMET prediction are Cross River, Ogun, Kogi, Oyo, Imo, Plateau, Kaduna, Bayelsa and Lagos States.

Several feared killed in Kano flood

There was heavy rainfall in Kano on Friday.

Many people are feared to have lost their lives and several buildings destroyed in Kano on Friday following a heavy downpour which lasted several hours and flooded roads and streets within the city.

The rain commenced at about 1:30 p.m. and lasted several hours, resulting in heavy flood that affected many houses, many of which are mud houses.

There is no official confirmation yet on the number of casualties and the level of destruction caused by the flooding.

Residents said several families have been rendered homeless while the Kano State Fire Service was still rescuing victims as at the time of filing this report.

Flooding during the rainy season has virtually become an annual occurrence in Kano.

Source: NEMA

LADIES!!! Invitation to the Google ladies MapUp in Garki Abuja

picture from readwrite.com 

As a follow up to AbujaMapUp in January which I was actively involved, here comes special package for our esteem ladies:
The digital mapping community in Abuja invites "Ladies" to our Ladies #AbujaMapUp coming up on Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17, 2013 in Garki. This Garki, Abuja event will show participants [Ladies] how to map different places, draw roads, add categories and discuss other features.This will enable them become citizen cartographers and improve the quality of maps and local information of Garki.

To be part of this event, kindly register at https://sites.google.com/site/abujamapup/

This event hopes to make particularly Garki, Abuja, a better mapped town with relevant and recent local information such as roads, schools, hospitals, banks,hotels,police stations and such other important places entered by participants, having local knowledge.

The Save Bagega is Complete! Senator Saraki Receives Certificate of Appreciation

The Chairman Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki representing Kwara Central Senatorial District has received a Certificate of Appreciation from the TERRAGRAPHICS INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION for the exemplary leadership role he played to see to the completion and the overall success of the BAGEGA LEAD POISONING REMEDIATION PROJECT.

 

During the Certificate presentation, Senator Saraki was particularly happy to officially report that the entire Bagega area and all the other villages of Zamfara state which has since 2010 been ravaged by lead poisoning has become fully remediated.

He added that by this feat, Nigeria has achieved the largest lead remediation scheme in Africa and the second largest in the world. The Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology commended the President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for standing behind this effort and seeing to its fruition.

Commenting further, Dr Bukola Saraki said credit must also go to the Minister of Environment, the government of Zamfara State especially the commissioner for the Environment Zamfara State, Messr. Telegraphics, Doctors without Borders (MSF), Online community that rallied support for#SaveBagega and all those who showed relentless commitment to ensure that we save the lives of the children of Zamfara ensuring that they have another chance on life again.

Saraki acknowledged that the success achieved thus far should not signal an end of the process. He tasked everyone to pull together and ensure that this success is not eroded by first making sure that the treatment of the children already affected is sustained. This, he said can only be done by enabling MSF (Doctors without Borders) train health workers within the state and beyond to take charge and continue from where they stop.

The Senator categorically said “We must as part of laying out the enabling structures, train these miners on safer mining techniques and improve access to the right technology that is safe for this kind of activity”.

Proffering solution to the aforementioned, Saraki suggested the need for the National Assembly to amend the Solid Minerals Act 2007 to expand access to and registration of artisanal miners. This he reckoned will enable these miners form cooperative societies, have access to finance and be involved in the training on safer mining. Stating that this will help provide more job opportunities for our people, reduce the incidences of unsafe mining and capture the market in terms of taxation and revenue to the government.

In a similar development, you will recall that the Senator had earlier donated the sum of 500,00Naira to help develop Bagega’s community cooperative thrift.

Finally, the Distinguished Senator expressed his deep appreciation for the recognition by terragraphics international as a catalyst to spur him to take further action on issues affecting the nation. He dedicated the award certificate to everyone that lent a hand to the #SaveBagegaproject.

culled from Bailiff Africa