NANFeatures/Vol.11/No.129/2017 (Sept. 7)
Rainy season: Understanding precautions against flooding
A News Analysis by Okon Okon News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
On many occasions, from the onset of the rainy season, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued flood alerts across the country.
Beside the alerts, it states what should be done to avert flood disaster similar to that of July 2012 in which many people died and several others were displaced.
Similarly, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) predicted rainfalls in 2017 that could result in massive flooding across the country.
Although fear of flooding has somewhat been a recurring phenomenon since 2012, environmentalists observe that apart from climate change, flooding is often provoked by human activities such as poor waste disposal and building on flood plains, among others.
According to them, since Nigeria suffers from seasonal flash floods, especially in the rural areas or overcrowded slums where drainage is poor, there is the need to sensitise the public to some of the precautions against flooding.
Such awareness campaign occurred recently when the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, warned the public to desist from blocking water channels.
He issued the warning when he conveyed the government’s sympathy to those affected by the 2017 flood at a news conference in Abuja, observing that more than 30 states and 100 local government areas had been categorised as high flood risk areas.
The minister, however, gave the assurance that NIHSA would continue to monitor the situation on flooding across the country.
“People should adhere to the advice in the recent Annual Flood Outlook issued by the NIHSA and other flood alerts by related agencies.
“The ministry would soon embark on a sensitisation campaign in collaboration with NIHSA to educate the entire citizenry on flood issues.
“The ministry and its relevant agencies will continue to sensitise the public and warn them against abuse of the environment as well as the importance of tree planting in efforts to reduce erosion and flooding,’’ he said.
The minister called on the state and local governments to embark on similar sensitisation campaigns on flooding, particularly at the grassroots.
“Those living in urban cities should always refrain from constructing structures on drains, while states and local governments must enforce environmental laws and town planning guidelines.
“Flash floods in the urban cities or semi-urban areas can be reduced with effective and adequate drainage systems.
“Furthermore, people in the riverine areas should not erect residential structures on flood plains, as these areas are an extension of the river space,’’ he warned.
Earlier in the year, NIHSA had forecast that cities in developing countries, including Nigeria, are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts such as changes in rainfall because of the exposure to extreme weather events.
Mr Moses Beckley, Director-General, NIHSA, highlighted some of the reasons for the recurrent challenges of flooding in Nigeria in the forecast.
“The country may experience severe flooding if we fail to adopt positive environmental measures.
“It is high time we begin to learn our lesson from 2012 and the previous flood disasters in Nigeria.
“Most residents, especially traders in major markets, usually stuff the drains with solid waste generated from their shops; this practice must stop,’’ he observed.
Beckley, therefore, advised government at all levels to adopt short and long term approaches to tackle the problem of flooding in all affected parts of the country.
Similarly, Mr Sam Ijeh, Media Assistant to the Commissioner for Information, Delta advocated the need for all states ministry of environment to tackle issues of erecting buildings on natural waterways.
“Following the warning by NiMet and NIHSA during their 2017 flood forecast, opening up and clearing of old canals as well as the construction of new ones in flood prone areas will serve as part of the short term measures,’’ he said.
Ijeh also urged all states government to embark on sensitisation of the public to warn those living in flood-prone areas to move to safer grounds.
Worried by the attitude of the public to warnings such as this, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, called on state governments to take proactive measures to minimise the risk of flooding in their areas.
He said recent reports showed that as many as 30 states out of the 36 in the country were at risk of being affected by flooding due to poor town-planning.
Saraki, therefore, urged the various governments to take responsibility of ensuring the safety of their communities, adding that the authorities must ensure that strict measures were taken to stop disruption of the drains.
“We have to take this issue of flooding very seriously. God has blessed Nigeria in so many ways.
“This issue of flooding is something that we can minimise with proper planning and proactive steps to prevent loss of lives and damage to property.
“What we need to do is for all stakeholders, including governments at all levels, town planning councils and our emergency management agencies to meet,’’ he said.
However, Prof. Gabriel Umoh, Director, Centre for Wetlands and Waste Management Studies, University of Uyo, blamed the problem on poor urban design.
He, therefore, urged the agencies of government charged with the responsibilities of managing the environment and planning the urban cities to live up to the expectations to stop flooding recurrence.(NANFeatures)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)