Delta State government has banned unregulated and reckless dredging activities across the state.
It said the practice endangers the lives and livelihoods of the people, the integrity of critical infrastructure, and the sustainability of the ecosystem.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, while directing the Ministry of Environment to take immediate action, said reckless dredging has become a significant source of environmental degradation.
In response to this challenge, the governor directed the implementation of some measures in line with the MORE Agenda and its goal of prioritizing environmental sustainability.
“Mandatory registration of dredging sites and submission of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) to the Ministry of Environment within one week of this notice, immediate shutdown of illegal dredging sites operating without a valid EIA.
“Others are ban on dredging activities near bridges and other critical infrastructure across the state, ban on dredging activities in residential areas to protect the health and safety of our people and ban on the haulage of wet sand or sand transported without cover by tippers within Delta State.”
To ensure compliance, the Delta State Ministry of Environment has set up a Special Compliance Monitoring Team that will commence enforcement of these directives on Monday, 13th January 2025.
