Curbing recurrence of flood disasters in Nigeria

The Ministry of Environment said the floods affected more than seven million people, while more than 363 persons lost their lives, apart from the 597,476 houses that were destroyed.Also, the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammed Sani-Sidi, at a recent forum on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland, said that Nigeria lost about N2.6 trillion to […]

The Ministry of Environment said the floods affected more than seven million people, while more than 363 persons lost their lives, apart from the 597,476 houses that were destroyed.
Also, the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammed Sani-Sidi, at a recent forum on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland, said that Nigeria lost about N2.6 trillion to last year’s flood disaster.
Observers, therefore, insist that the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) has a role to play in efforts to curb future flood disasters by enlightening the public ahead of the envisaged disaster.
Just as it did last year, NIMET has sent some warning signals to some states and local governments across the country on the likelihood of having torrential rains that could result in flooding.
“Based on the condition that is prevalent at the time of making the prediction, we are predicting that the rainfall pattern in 2013 will not be different from what we saw in 2012,’’ the agency announced in a recent statement.
NIMET said that the rains could cause some dams to overflow their banks, which might cause loss of people’s lives and destruction of their means of livelihood.
Following this prediction, the federal government has advised citizens across the country to take necessary precautions in the event of flooding.
Analysts, however, contend that although flood could not be prevented from occurring, its effects could, nonetheless, be controlled via the adoption of coordinated and proactive strategies.
In line with the analysts’ suggestions, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has been organising consultative workshops on flood prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response across the country.
At the inauguration of the workshop in Abuja, NEMA’s director-general called on governments at all levels to put in place proper refuse disposal mechanisms, while undertaking regular cleaning of drainage systems and water reservoirs
Sani-Sidi also called for the provision of navigational aids at airports, adding that storm barriers and end dykes should also be erected on river banks and coastal areas.
He noted that, in spite of the sensitisation, only 224 local government areas across the country had functional emergency management committees, stressing that states and the remaining local government areas should improve their disaster management capabilities.
In her remark, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, the Minister of Water Resources, called on people living in flood-prone communities to take precautionary measures against flooding.
Due to the fact that water released from Ladgo Dam in Cameroun largely contributed to the flood disaster which Nigeria experienced in 2012, the minister emphasised that relevant Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities were discussing how to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
Mr John Shamonda, the leader of the Technical Mission to Cameroon, noted that Nigeria was considering the construction of a dam in Dasin Hausa, Adamawa, to control flooding in the region.
Media reports indicate that Nigeria had, in 1978, planned to construct the dam before Cameroon constructed the Ladgo Dam.
Shamonda stressed that the dam’s construction would particularly check the incidence of flood in Adamawa, Taraba, Benue and Kogi, Anambra, Delta and Bayelsa.
He also observed that Dasin Hausa dam would serve as a buffer to contain any excess water released from Ladgo Dam.
To avoid a recurrence of flood disasters in Nigeria, Shamonda said that the federal government had given the dam project a priority attention.
Besides, the Ministry of Environment, in a statement, said that it has strengthened its environmental education and awareness campaigns across the country to forestall flood disasters.
The ministry said that as part of efforts to curb indiscriminate blockage of water channels and minimise the impact of flooding, it would enforce regulatory provisions on property development on flood plains.
Moreover, it said that automated community-based flood early-warning systems have been installed near major rivers in flood-prone areas for real-time flood forecasting.
All the measures notwithstanding, NEMA warned that if the states and local governments failed to initiate aggressive flood prevention strategies, all the efforts would be in vain.
It stated that the strategies should include the clearing and expansion of drainage systems as well as the evacuation of people from flood-prone areas.
The agency also observed that indiscriminate dumping of wastes in drains and the erection of buildings on flood-prone plains were some of the factors responsible for the occurrence of flood disasters in the country.
It said that it was collaborating with the media to establish a national emergency information centre to dish out timely and accurate emergency information to the public.
NEMA pledged that it would continue to embark on aggressive sensitisation campaigns in vulnerable communities by engaging traditional rulers to sensitise their subjects to the need to avert flood disasters.
Malam Mohammed Abdulsalam, the NEMA’s Coordinator (North-Central zone), said that 4,000 volunteers had been recruited in Benue, 3,500 in Plateau and 3,000 in Nasarawa State as the first respondents in the event of flooding.
All the same, Ms Magareta Wahlstrom, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, stressed that the federal government should go beyond the adoption of short-term measures to tackle flooding and other recurrent natural disasters.
Walhlstrom said that Nigeria should shift its approach towards developing the capacity of local communities in disaster risks’ reduction.
She also underscored the need for proper coordination and central planning functions in all disaster management tasks.
All in all, observers urge all the relevant stakeholders to develop a virile synergy in efforts to engender a proactive approach to preventing, mitigating and responding to anticipated flooding in any part of the country. (NAN Features)