WRITTEN BY EMEKA ACHEBE
The Anambra State Government has commenced a study to mitigate the perennial flooding in the Onitsha metropolis and its environs.

This is made possible through the State Government’s partnership with the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP). The project, known as Onitsha Storm Water Management Master Plan, holds stakeholder’s engagement workshop today.
The study involves understanding flood and drainage discharge patterns with intent on developing a lasting solution for Onitsha and its environs. Uncontrolled Storm water from increased run-off is the immediate cause of urban flood and gully formation in Anambra State which negatively impacts on the economy and general well-being of the people. With this and similar efforts around the State, the Obiano-led government seeks to promote economic security by addressing gully formation, vulnerability to soil erosion and creating a climate-resilient Anambra State, one community at a time.
Onitsha, as the gateway to eastern Nigeria and its economic nerve-centre, is well-chosen for this project, giving its peculiar location, which combines road and waterway access points, making it one of the four main potential industrial and commercial growth areas in Nigeria.
Storm water run-off management from urban areas is an increasingly important determinant of the health, ecology and amenity of urban streams, rivers, estuaries and network of canals. Urban development has severely affected urban waterways in many ways, including increased impervious surfaces (such as roofs and roads, interlocking etc). It has also caused increased volumes and rates of storm water run-off from urban areas.
Many minor urban canals and streams have been replaced with concrete pipes and constructed channels to safely convey run-off to natural bodies of water without causing major flooding. Streams not destroyed in this way have typically suffered increased siltation and the attendant degradation of associated riparian vegetation because of the increased flows and other climate-change effects. Everyday activities in the urban area, from building houses to maintaining gardens to driving and maintaining motor cars, leads to the deposition of a broad range of refuse and pollutants on to the urban landscape; these refuse and pollutants are washed away in rainfall events, causing storm water pollution.
Pollutants typically found in urban storm water run-off are litter, vegetative waste, soil and sediment, nutrients (which contribute to algal blooms), pesticides and herbicides, oils and other hydrocarbons, heavy metals and other toxic substances. All of these alter the environmental nature of the area impacted by the storm water. Increased rates and frequencies of storm water flows (from the increase in impervious areas) and increased nutrient element levels, and sediments load contribute to erosion and the promotion of weed species growth creating a debilitating impact on the ecosystem and communities living and or dependent on it.
Based on the back drop of this situation, Onitsha Urban Storm water Management Master Plan is being developed in Anambra State by Governor Willie Obiano. This project will be achieved through enhanced awareness and by educating communities affected by flooding so as to promote a change in behavior. It will equally be achieved by identifying and assessing the storm water drainage needs of Onitsha City and prepare a Master plan to allow for prioritization, detailed design and implementation of infrastructures and projects to reduce flooding, manage the menace of and impact of rain water, allow for improvements and development to proceed without recourse to the lives of the community. Finally, outline and identify institutional arrangement and relevant stakeholders for the implementation of the project for a sustainable development.
The Obiano administration deserves commendation and cooperation for attracting such a huge investment cum grant to support his vision for an environment-friendly Anambra State. Indeed, it can only come from a government with the best interest of the people at heart.

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