Just like 2020, earlier in 2021 the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, warned about imminent flooding in some local government areas of Rivers State during the rainy season. The South-South Coordinator of NEMA, Godwin Tepikor, who gave the warning in Port Harcourt in March, explained that Rivers – Niger and Benue often empty their waters in the Niger Delta region when they overflow during the rainy season.
Tepikor, therefore, called on the local government council authorities to begin now to identify high places where their citizens can be relocated when the flooding starts. He said the local government areas that may be impacted by flooding include; Abua Odual, Ahoada East and West, Ogba Egbema Ndoni, Okirika, Asari Tori, Akuku Toru and Andoni.
According to the NEMA boss, “There are local government areas and communities in Rivers State that are around the coastal areas. Recall that Rivers Niger and Benue empty their waters down here in the Niger Delta; Bayelsa and Rivers state and every year there are local governments and communities that are impacted.
“Our concern is that residents should begin to take proactive measures by clearing their drains and the local government councils should begin to identify high grounds where they can relocate their citizens in the event that the flood impact these local government areas.
“Residents also should not throw garbage’s into the drains, they should begin to clear the drains so that in the event that the flooding happens, the impact will be highly mitigated. We must be as serious as if nothing was done. On our part as National Emergency Management Agency, we will soon begin our sensitization and awareness creation to the states under our jurisdiction”.
Ordinarily, disaster management should be the business of everyone. However, it is because of these communities of everyone that made the human race create systems of leadership. Our leaders at different levels have left the matter of flooding to the National Emergency Management Agency, a group largely responsible but not entirely outside the leadership of the federal government. Also, the Traditional leaders in these communities are the most worried obviously since the people cry to their doors every now and then. Could there be Something the Traditional rulers know that might be of help to the ailing victims?
Speaking in an interview, the King of Engenni Kingdom, His Royal Highness, Eze Moore Maclean highlighted the helplessness of this traditional leaders.
“We have informed the government; we have called on all well-meaning stakeholders who can help mitigate the impact of this flood yet we are yet to see sustainable solutions, the funds for short term palliatives do not alleviate the plight of the people for more than one day, so what happens to the other days”
“If the flood is inevitable then we can as well provide accommodation for these people that are hugely affected in the riverine areas”
Similarly, a resident of Rumu-esara, Eneka, Sir Ernest Muze, whose newly-built duplex was badly affected by the floodwaters, forcing him and his family out of the building for over one month blamed the havoc on lack of drainage systems and canals to take the water out.
Like other residents of Eneka, Sir Muze equally attributed the heavy flooding to the failure of the contractor who handled the expansion of Eneka/ Igwuruta Road to construct adequate drainage to take care of the excess water. He said that uncontrolled development and failure of the town planning authority and other agencies responsible for checking abuse of the environment to carry out their duties effectively is also a contributory factor.
Another resident of Eneka, Mrs. Roseline Amadi, agreed with Muze. She said the Eneka/Igwuruta Road contractor channeled the water into a borrow pit which could not contain the high volume of water thereby forcing the water into peoples’ homes and farmlands.
She passionately appealed to the state government to adopt some measures to reduce the impact of the flood-like sucking away the excess water in the affected areas so that people who fled their homes could return and carry on with their lives.
In his own view, an Urban and Regional Planning expert, Mr Sunday Wisdom, attributed the flooding in Port Harcourt and other rapidly developing cities to urbanization which increases the number of roads and buildings. This, he said, increases the proportion of surface area where water cannot be absorbed into the ground leading to a rapid runoff which leads to flooding during storms. He advised that water drainage systems should be properly built so that water can be directed to rivers effectively and quickly. He equally agreed with Onianwa that dredging of the major rivers in the country is the way to go.
Flashing back to 2020, it was basically the same issues that arose and thousands lost their livelihood and dwelt in terrible living conditions, with countless solutions been suggested and yet implementation, has remained a long-standing challenge.
After a thorough investigative analysis including the opinions of residents and stakeholders it is obvious that proper channeling through area-specific drainage designs, as well as proper urbanization plans, are some of the solutions that could really reduce the impact of these floods.
Finally, Citizens must take active roles in governance as American Writer Isaac Asimov would say “People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” The people must understand that their governments are Civil servants employed for the good of the citizenry but it never alienates the responsibility of a citizen in determining his own fate, Garbage must be disposed of responsibly, Houses must be built with a proper Survey plan and Citizens must stop developing properties in Swamps and other water paths and channels. In conclusion, we can avoid the heats and tears of the flood if we decided to pay attention to the issue as we focus on elections, Land grabbing, and insecurity. Issues that have dominated the headlines rather than death traps of floods.
Leave feedback about this