By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
Urshalima community in Filiya town of Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State has mobilised it’s limited resources including wastes to mitigate the effects of climate change.
This effort is coming at a time the World is celebrating the World Environment Day with the 2024 theme: Accelerating Land Restoration, Drought Resilience and Desertification.
The chairman of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) club of the community, Milano Edward said they are putting in their best to protect themselves and especially their future generations from the effects of climate change occasioned by desertification and drought.
Urshalima community and many others around, solely depend on fire wood for cooking following exorbitant price of cooking gas and kerosene. This has resulted in the falling or cutting down of trees with no replacement.
This however seems to be the tide that Urshalima community is determined to change and Mr. Nikano said they started the project eight months ago and that the support they are enjoying from stakeholders has been great and exemplary. It has also spurred them to be determined in the project.
During a sponsored visit to the rural community, by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), our Correspondent observed a highly disciplined residents who expressed determination to fight climate change in their little way through massive tree planting.
Our Correspondent also learnt that the community created a system where no waste leaves the community as the waste are piled at a locally fenced tree orchard that was recently developed for the purpose of addressing climate change as well as generate income for them through the economic and other types of trees planted.
The waste, comprising dry and green leaves, ash, cow dunk, pit waste and any waste from their houses, serves as manure for the orchard.
UNICEF consultant, Mr Bala Adams, who gave a highlight of the community initiated project, told our correspondent that the community was well sensitised about climate change which spur them to action.
He said the club, got support from the Ministry of Environment, community leaders and other agencies such as RUWASA among others whose support are still being expected.
Speaking on the sustainability of the project, Mr Bala’s response was corroborated by the Secretary of the WASH community project, Mr. Micah Garba, who added that they are planning to acquire a bigger land for the orchard.
He also revealed that they have a plan to continuously plant trees in the community for the next ten years. They already have seedlings in the orchard and plan to get more varieties.
To buttress the determination and importance the community attached to the project, a 14 year old SS2 student in the community, Grace Garba told our Correspondent in an interview how she and her widowed mother experienced the negative impact of climate change when heavy winds took off the roof of their hut.
Based on that experience which made her cry and what she learn about climate change in school, she vowed to personally plant and nurture trees for the good of the community.
Gurbol Kamibin Madaki, Mobilization and Communication Officer of RUWASA said the agency is extremely happy with the efforts of the community which is the reason why it supported them with a borehole so as to enable them water the orchard.
She assured that more support is coming the way of the community which has shown commitment to preserve the environment.
Billions of hectares of land are being degraded across the world and communities in Gombe are no exception. This degradation is affecting the people and threatening global GDP.
Rural communities such as Urshalima, smallholder farmers and the extremely poor people are hit the hardest, however, land restoration can reverse the creeping tide of land degradation, drought and desertification.
