This question was not popular among the candidates and most of those who attempted the question performed poorly. Some of them just listed the point without explanations. The candidates were expected to explain the following points to score high marks:
- poor transport network;
- gully erosion due to heavy rainfall;
- occasional flooding due to heavy rainfall;
- water and land pollution;
- death of aquatic animals due to pollution;
- non exploitation of potential cash crops;
- sparse population in some places;
- high salinity of mangrove soils;
- youth restiveness;
- inadequate infrastructure;
- shortage of portable water;
- few navigable rivers;
- poor drainage system.
The solutions to the problems of development of the Cross River Basin include:
- improved transport network;
- construction of bridges and fly-overs across swampy and water logged zones;
- soil erosion control measures to be improved;
- flood control measures e.g. construction of culverts;
- proper disposal of effluents from oil companies;
- encouragement of large scale cultivation of root crops like cassava for export;
- encouragement of immigrants to sparsely populated areas;
- land reclamation;
- development of new towns;
- proper planning in the location of industries;
- strict environmental laws;
- desalinization schemes.
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