Experts in environmental matters in the South-East have recommended pragmatic measures to combat perennial flooding in the zone.
They spoke in separate interviews during a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey on the huge environmental and fatal impact of this year’s flooding in different cities and communities in the zone.
In Abia, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr Stephen Nwazue, blamed the phenomenon on non-adherence to land use regulations.
Nwazue told NAN in Umuahia that although there were other causative factors, uncontrolled land use due to non-adherence to land use regulations remained a major cause of flooding in the southeast.
He said that many developers pay little or not regard to expert advice on the dangers in building houses in either flood prone areas or waterways.
According to him, the infractions have continued unabated because of the lack of political will by the relevant agencies of government to deal decisively with them.
Nwazue said that most persons that flouted the land use regulations were often emboldened by their “connection to government officials”.
He, therefore, called on the government to collaborate with the institute to ensure strict implementation of urban development master plans at the state and federal levels.
Also, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Sunday Jackson, spoke on the impact of this year’s flooding in the state.
Jackson said that the agency had so far recorded 21 deaths from the disaster.
He explained that 16 of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) of the state were affected.
The LGAs included Aba North, Aba South, Ukwa West, Ukwa East, Arochukwu, Umuahia North and Bende.
Jackson said that the situation in seven of them became very critical due to flooding from the nearby rivers.
He said that many residential buildings were destroyed, while hundreds of people were rendered homeless.
The SEMA boss said that the extent of the destruction was beyond the capacity of the State Government.
He recalled that a woman got drowned recently, while trying to rescue her daughter, who still got drowned.
Jackson said that the government had continued to sensitise the people, especially flood-prone communities, on the dangers of flooding and preventive measures.
He, however, regretted that people hardly take proactive measures of early warning actions to relocate out from the riverine areas.
He said that relevant government agencies always released
early warnings and predictions.
“The problem is that people would like to see the flood really happen before they start moving and by that time, a lot of damage had occurred.
“But, if people can be proactive to observe the safety net of flooding, the impact would not be much,” Jackson said.
In Ebonyi, some of the respondents advised the Federal Government to enter into an agreement with the Cameroonian authorities on a more effective way to forestall flooding arising from the release of water from the Lagdo Dam.
Mr Ifeanyi Onu also charged the Federal Government to take proactive steps ahead of the opening of the dam to safely channel the waters out to prevent huge flooding as often experienced in the country.
Mr Willson Nwali called for the implementation of the extant legislations banning the building of houses on natural waterways and drainages.
Mr Kenneth Nwegede urged the river basin development authorities, SEMA and town planners to efforce regulations criminalising the building of permanent structures on waterways.
Nwegede also charged the National Orientation Agency to carry out massive sensitisation and awareness campaign on flooding to discourage people from engaging in acts that cause flooding.
He also advised state governments to set up task forces to monitor and ensure that houses were not erected on drainages to avoid flooding from blockages.
A civil servant, Mr John Mbam, also advised governments in the southeast to construct sufficient drains and modern drainages for proper channelling of rain water to major rivers and canals to end flooding.
Mbam also recommended the desilting of blocked drains ahead of every rainy season to allow for free flow of rain water.
Another civil servant, Mr Chijioke Onwa, called for proper designing and construction of housing estates and layouts in the cities to avert the risk of flooding.
In Enugu State, the NITP Chairman, Udeh Ogbonna, said the developmental law in the state empowers them to ensure that no one builds on drainages and waterways.
Ogbonna said the law only allows people to build permanent structures 10 metre away from the drainage and rivers in order to check flooding.
“We discourage residents from dumping waste indiscriminately on rivers because it causes blockage that automatically leads to flooding.
“The institute also advises residents against illegal felling of tress and bush burning.
“They are also encouraged to plant at least one tree in their compound,” Ogbonna said.
He advocated the strict enforcement of environmental laws to check indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Mr Chinedu Ozochioke, the Head of Physical Planning and Development, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), said that the authority does not hesitate to demolish houses built on waterways.
According to him, ECTDA makes sure that residents build according to plan and design.
“We take flood areas into consideration before approving a layout or structure for anyone that wants to build,” Ozochioke said.
Mr Emeka Obinwa, the Media Assistant to Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra on SEMA, blames flooding on poor environmental attitude by many people.
Obinwa said that many urban dwellers do not heed to governments advise on proper refuse disposal.
He said, “People usually throw solid waste into the water channels, thus blocking the free flow of water.”
He argued that flooding would be minimal, if people should obey environmental regulations against blocking the water channels.
An Awka-based town planner, Mr Emmanuel Okoye, said that flooding could also result from the abuse of settlement plans.
Okoye called on Nigerians to always obey professional advice on issues that could result to flooding.
For Mr Jude Nwankwo, Programme Manager, Agricultural Development Programme, the current flooding meant that the prices of foodstuffs would soon hit the rooftop. Nwankwo regretted that the local government areas submerged by flooding in Anambra happened to be the food basket of the state.
He said, “When we boast of rice production in Anambra, it is from farmers in Ayamelum, Ogbaru, Anambra West, Anambra East, Awka North and Ekwusigo.
“Unfortunately, these are the areas hit by flooding.”
Nwankwo, therefore, warned the government and residents to be prepared for imminent food shortage in the state.
A media practitioner, Mr Casmir Maduforo, blamed this year’s flooding on Federal Government’s alleged failure to take adequate steps to avert the disaster.
Maduforo said: “Nigeria recorded serious flooding in 2012, we have it again this year due to excess water released from Ladgo Dam in Cameroon.
“Available information is that when Cameroon wanted to build the dam in 1977, it engaged the Nigerian government for the project to be jointly executed so as to mitigate the impact of flooding.
“Cameroun finished their own dam almost 50 years ago and Nigerians are today suffering from its effects.
“Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any plan by the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem.”
Maduforo, therefore, urged the Federal Government to urgently construct a buffer dam around River Benue to put an end to the perennial flooding.
In Imo, some farmers feared that this year’s flooding would lead to acute food shortage and exorbitant prices.
They recommended an immediate review of the 2023 budgetary allocation to agriculture, especially for the procurement of foodstuffs to ameliorate the looming famine.
Mr Charles Uwa, who commended the government’s efforts to boost food production in the country, called for a judicious implementation of the budget.
Uwa also called for more efforts towards ensuring that farmers benefited from the existing government’s agricultural schemes to make their impact more meaningful.
He said that the agricultural sector had contributed significantly to the nation’s GDP, hence should be given more government attention.
Alao, Mr Udochukwu Anyanwu advised the government to conduct a needs assessment amongst farmers to ensure that the budgetary allocation was properly invested in specific areas of need.
