Anambra State Government has alerted Ndi Anambra of the rising water levels of the River Niger. A press statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu, urged flood prone Local Government Areas to watch out for signs of danger. According to the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, twenty-seven states have so far been impacted by floods this year , with a total of two hundred and twenty-seven thousand four hundred and ninety-four persons affected and thirty-two thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven houses destroyed while sixteen thousand four hundred and eighty-eight hectares of farmland with crops were also damaged. It will recalled that the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook indicated high flood risk between the months of April and November this year.
According to the report, one hundred and forty eight local government areas in thirty one States of the Federation are in High Flood Risk Areas while part of two hundred and forty nine Local Government Areas in thirty six States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory FCT fall within the Moderate Flood Risk Areas.
monitoring, housing development in flood prone areas, deforestation, haphazard developments resulting in the blockage of drains, poor waste disposal practices, as well as poor environmental planning and weak enforcement of policies.
The rapid population growth, increasing urbanization and poor physical planning are prompting people to build on flood prone areas including river banks, drainages and waterways. Again, Poor solid waste management also contributes to the problem of flooding as some people use drainage systems as dump sites thereby blocking free flow of water. In a larger scale, the release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, often contributes to flooding in Nigeria with devastating effects. Flooding often has adverse consequences on the environment, affect human lives in various ways including human health, economic activities, infrastructure and sources of livelihood. Flooding can lead to loss of lives, emotional and psychological distress, and destruction of property, social amenities and infrastructure.
Flooding can increase the number of people contracting water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid because of poor sanitation facilities. It can also destroys wildlife habitats, and aquatic lives through pollution. Since flooding occurs annually and early warnings are often given by the weather agencies, there should be proper planning to reduce the consequences. Federal and state governments should ensure strict enforcement of environmental laws to curb indiscriminate dumpling of refuse and other environmental abuses.
Federal government should embark on construction of more dams to take up excess water as well as dredging of some of the major rivers in Nigeria.
There should also be a review of road construction policies to ensure that all road projects have adequate drainage system terminated at proper discharge points.
The tempo of tree planting campaign and grassing of compounds and environs should be sustained and should remain a precondition for developing new structures. There is also need to ensure strict enforcement of physical planning laws to discouraged discriminate building of houses and other structures as well as increased awareness on need for people to protect the environment.
Written by PAUL EZEOKE
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