Poor enforcement of environmental laws increases disasters 'NEMA

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has attributed increase in environmental disasters worldwide to poor enforcement of environmental laws by concerned authorities.Speaking at a-one day workshop, themed, 'Better implemented and enforced law for safer cities', in Ilorin on Thursday, the NEMA director general, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, said that building collapse, flooding in towns, cities, farmlands and illegal mining are some of the consequences of improper implementation and enforcement of planning laws in Nigeria.Alhaji Sidi, who was represented by NEMA's Zonal Coordinator, Minna Operations office, Slak Bijimi said, 'the occurring and reoccurring cases of building collapse, building along or close to water courses, environmental degradation resulting from either flood or illegal mining in our cities call for a rethink and better implementation/enforcement of laws, such as building codes and regulation, planning and environmental laws to mitigate disasters.'The abuse and distortions of building and town planning regulations such as building or farming on waterways, erecting toxic and dangerous structures or carrying out dangerous activities in proximity to where humans live increase the impacts of disasters.Human activities combined with climate change have impact on the environment and in most cases aggravate disasters. The need to systematically reduce the increased impact is steadily gaining recognition and commitment among governments worldwide.'In a remark, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Kwara state Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Emergency and Relief Services, Abdulazeez Ibrahim said town planning laws are aimed at ensuring that people do not live in high risk areas or face seasonal threats like flood.He added that building code on the other hand 'ensures that appropriate building standards are adhered to in order to reduce the impact of hazards like fire outbreaks, floods etc.
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