By Obiabin Onukwugha
The River State government has blamed the flooding in parts of Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and Oyigbo local government areas of the state on human activities.
The state government observed that indiscriminate dumping of refuse in canals and the conversion of wetlands to residential areas contributed to the flooding, which has displaced thousands and destroyed properties worth millions of naira in the past few weeks..
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Gonee Nwizug stated this after inspecting some flooded areas following complaints by residents that the Port Harcourt Water Corporation was responsible for the flooding, on Wednesday.
The Permanent Secretary insisted that debris had blocked the canals and restricted free flow of water while some wetlands have also been converted to residential area.
Nwizug also revealed that the state government has directed that engineers submit reports to the governor immediately on the cause of the flooding.
“His excellency the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, delegated us to see what has happened between the community and the Port Harcourt Water Corporation and we have seen what has happened.
“We have found out that human factor is responsible for the problem we witness here today. Human beings have decided to throw debris into the canal blocking the water passage and this is unacceptable.
“We have also noticed that wetland has been converted into residential areas leaving water to take over spaces and now we are hearing complaints and we thank God that the governor was magnanimous enough to say send engineers to see what has actually happened. We need to sensitise the people on the need to allow wetland to be wet and the need for people to desist from throwing debris into the canals and waterways,” Nwizug said.
Meanwhile some environmentalists have called for urgent and coordinated action by the state, local government councils and relevant agencies in tackling the current flooding situation.
An environmental activist, Prof Anda Wai-Ogosu, while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, blamed that flooding on absence of effective environmental structures at the local government levels, stating that this has made it difficult to identify flood prone areas and address the problem before it escalates.
He said: “If you have a well articulated flood policy we will have information as to the area every year where the water table is high. Therefore those areas should have benchmarks. It tells you the rise on those areas prone to flood waters. That policy will now move a step to say these are the things you need to do to penetrate to that and these are the things you need to do to reduce the impact of the flood,” he said.
Prof Wai-Ogosu stated that the absence of a detailed plan to reduce risks and hazards associated with the flooding is also a challenge. He stated that there must be a proper coordinated environmental practises. “If you prevent water from moving it will do what it’s supposed to do for it to move,” he stated.
Also, the Executive Director of Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre YEAC-NIGERIA, Dr. Dumnamene Fyneface, has stated that blocked drains, building on waterways, failure to desilt, and climate change aare causes of the current flooding in parts of the state.
Dr. Fyneface in a statement on Thursday called on the state government to address the flood through mapping, emergency desilting of 45km drains, retention of river basins, early warning sensors, and planting of mangroves to contain more more water.
He also called for the establishment of elEnvironmental Marshals, a Flood Resilience Fund and the enactment of a Rivers State Emergency Management Agency (RSEMA) law to address the menace.
The environmentalist, who said his organization has already submitted a proposed plan to the state governor, said “We urge the Governor to review and approve the plan, release N1.2billion emergency funds for immediate desilting, and convene an emergency flood summit.
“We call on the public and media to support this call for action,” he stated.
