ANAMBRA
STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
THE BILL FOR EROSION CONTROL AND ROAD MAINTENANCE
IN THE ANAMBRA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF NIGERIA
JUNE
18, 2001
THE
BILL
The
purpose of this bill is to establish the mechanism for erosion control
and maintenance of all road systems in Anambra State. The combination
of meticulous erosion control and grassroots-based road maintenance
will lay the foundation for structured socioeconomic development
of the state by ensuring that our precious topsoil and landscape
are preserved and our road network remains functional at all times.
Prevention of degradation of our ancestral land as well as conservation
of fertile topsoil for agriculture is fundamentally consistent with
the socioeconomic interests of all residents of this state. Moreover,
this bill recognizes that the ravages of erosion and devastation
of our roadways can be prevented or mitigated through simple flood-control
procedures and earlier repairs of damaged roads before total ruination
occurs. This bill further takes the position that the Governor of
Anambra State and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly shall
take effective measures to inculcate a new maintenance culture amongst
individuals, communities and governmental bureaucracy of Anambra
State.
Be it enacted by the House of Assembly of Anambra State as follows:
SECTION I – PRINCIPLES FOR EROSION CONTROL AND ROAD MAINTENANCE
a)
All roads in Anambra State, irrespective of which governmental jurisdiction
that originally built them, shall be under constant surveillance
and maintenance throughout the year.
b)
All roads in Anambra State shall be provided with drainage as necessitated
by the environment through which those roads pass.
c) Floodwater control shall be effected in all homesteads, farmlands
and other landed properties in Anambra State with the objective
of attaining a zero runoff of floodwater after rainfall.
d)
A comprehensive topographical survey of the state shall be completed
by Anambra State government within 12 months of ratification of
this bill to determine locations and paths of traditional flood
channels and this shall provide the basis for management of all
the floodwater in Anambra State.
e) No part of a designated natural floodwater channel shall be blocked
or tampered with in ways that shall divert or impede the normal
patterns of water flow in this channel.
SECTION II – PASSAGE OF EROSION CONTROL AND ROAD MAINTENANCE
BILL
a) The Speaker of the State House of Assembly shall bear primary
responsibility for passing this bill in the State House of Assembly
without any delay.
b)
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly shall ensure that this
bill is deliberated upon, on a brief debate and passed in the State
Assembly before September 30, 2001.
c) The Speaker of the State House of Assembly and party leaders
in the State Assembly shall persuade each Local Government and Community
in Anambra State to adopt this bill or similar version, immediately
the bill is signed into law.
d)
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly shall give each member
of the State Assembly the duty to persuade his or her Constituency,
LGA and Community to adopt this bill or a similar non-conflicting
bill.
SECTION III – EXECUTION OF THE BILL
a)
The Governor of Anambra State shall persuade the Speaker of State
House of Assembly to pass the bill.
b)
Upon passage of the bill in the State Assembly, the Governor of
Anambra State shall sign the bill into law and issue a mandate for
Local Government Councils and communities in the State to adopt
the law.
SECTION IV – ESTABLISHMENT OF ROAD MAINTENANCE CORPS
a)
The Governor of Anambra State shall order the establishment of Road
Maintenance Corps (RMC) in all autonomous communities of the state
within 6 months of the passage of this bill.
b)
The RMC shall be responsible for implementing and monitoring erosion
control projects and maintenance of all roads that pass through
its area of influence. The RMC shall operate under the purview of
the community leader whose responsibility it shall be to nominate
members of the corps.
c)
The Local Government Council Chairman shall liaise with leaders
of autonomous communities under its jurisdiction to ensure that
all RMC units are properly organized and equipped to carry out all
aspects of their tasks throughout the year.
d)
The RMC shall derive the bulk of its operational funds from local
communities in which it is based. Other sources of funds shall include
Federal, State and LG subventions as well as sponsorship by NGOs
and philanthropic groups and individuals.
e)
The Governor of Anambra State shall instruct the State Ministry
of Works
to conduct twice a year inspection tour of all RMC units in the
state to
ensure full compliance with the spirit of this bill. Delinquent
communities shall be fined or sanctioned by officials of the ministry
until all deficiencies are made up for. The first inspection shall
be between the months of January and April; and the second inspection
shall be between the months of June and August.
SECTION V – DRAINAGE SYSTEM FOR ALL ROADS IN ANAMBRA STATE
a)
All newly built roads in Anambra State shall be deemed uncompleted
until a functional drainage system has been constructed to conform
to the topographical layout of the general area.
b)
The part of road contracts that pertain to drainage, like construction
of gutters as well as floodwater channels in and out of culverts,
shall be subcontracted to the RMC units of the communities through
which the new road passes. The RMCs shall liaise with the major
contractor to ensure that the entire project is carried out as stipulated
in the original road contract.
c)
The Anambra State Ministry of Works shall fine and or sanction any
contractor that fails to provide adequate drainage for newly built
roads in the state. The fine shall not be less than the estimated
cost for constructing a proper drainage plus the cost for repairs
of damages that may have been caused by the lack adequate drainage
for the road in question. Repeat violators shall be excluded from
bidding for all road contracts in Anambra State for 10 years.
SECTION VI - ZERO FLOODWATER RUNOFF POLICY
a) Floodwater in homesteads, farmlands and roadways shall be collected
and held in mud pits or wells to prevent runoff spillage into adjacent
properties, except as directed by the RMC in the area.
b)
Large pits shall be placed at appropriate intervals along designated
floodwater channels to hold runoff with the objective of ensuring
that floods do not reach erosion gully sites directly from an uphill
distance of more than 200 meters.
c)
All excess floodwater runoff from roadways, which cannot be held
in roadside pits, shall be channeled into the nearest designated
flood channels for additional containment downhill.
d)
) Trees, shrubs and grass shall be used to cover exposed topsoil
and residential compounds to minimize surface erosion as well as
to encourage optimal seepage of rainwater into the ground before
a major runoff develops. Clear-cutting of trees and covering vegetation
in erosion-prone localities is prohibited in Anambra state.
e)
Annual tree-planting campaigns shall be organized by the Anambra
State Ministry of Agriculture to encourage forestation with species
that can inhibit topsoil erosion in vulnerable areas. During such
events, a “Green Town” award shall be given annually
to any community that excels in implementation of erosion control
measures for the preceding calendar year.
f)
Property owners shall be responsible for ensuring that zero runoff
is maintained within the boundaries of their properties. Violators
shall be fined and given 7 working days to construct adequate receptacles
to hold rainwater runoff from the property in question. After this
deadline, the RMC shall construct the required receptacles and charge
the property owner for the cost of doing so.
THIS DRAFT BILL WAS PREPARED
BY
OSONDU FOUNDATION, INC. U.S.A.
DATED:
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
June 18, 2001
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