In a bid to protect the environment and promote sustainable land management, the Federal Capital Territory Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project has kickstarted an intensive campaign against bush burning in communities where tree planting and other project interventions have been undertaken in the FCT.

Speaking at the commencement of the event, Project Coordinator of the FCT ACReSAL, Mrs. Caroline Opara, stated that the anti-bush burning campaign is timely given the current dry season, which is prone to bush fires. “This campaign is apt because we are in the midst of the dry season when incidences of bush fires are rampant,” she said.

Mrs. Opara cautioned that have devastating impacts which can lead to severe soil degradation and low agricultural productivity.

She expressed concern that if left unchecked, the continuous practice could undermine the progress made so far by ACReSAL in the FCT.
The project she added intends to leverage the campaign to educate communities about the dire environmental consequences of indiscriminate bush burning and promote sustainable land management practices.

“Through this campaign, we seek to foster collective action to protect our environment and ensure the long-term viability of project investments,” she stated.

During the event, the FCT ACReSAL project team engaged with community members on bushfire prevention and distributed educational materials to influence behavioral change.

The sensitization campaign took place simultaneously across 12 communities, including Pukafa, Wako, Tekpese, Ike, Sheda, and Rugan Nature in Kwali Area Council, as well as Munape, Tungan Mada, Tungan Gede, Leeka, Gbomada, and Gakumishi in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

In a related development, as part of the project’s commitment to institutional strengthening under Component C of ACReSAL, the team collaborated with the FCT Rural Water, Safety and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) to engage and sensitize the 12 communities to discourage open defecation.

Mrs. Opara emphasized the dangers of open defecation, which is rampant in some of the communities where ACReSAL interventions have taken place. She noted that the collaboration with RUWASSA is aimed at taking concrete measures to address the problem, which aligns with the project’s focus on addressing land degradation and improving community livelihoods.

She disclosed plans to leverage RUWASSA’s expertise to construct public toilets in the communities, stressing the importance of involving the communities in decisions on suitable locations for constructing the proposed toilets.

Aisha Bakpet, who represented RUWASSA at the event, thanked ACReSAL for the support and elaborated on the numerous health hazards posed by poor sanitation practices, highlighting the potential for the spread of waterborne diseases.

Bakpet pointed out that prevention is far more effective and less costly than dealing with the aftermath of health and environmental crises caused by unsanitary conditions.

Community leaders and members expressed their commitment to preventing open defecation and promoting cleanliness.