The impact of flooding in Nigeria is becoming overwhelming. It has been a recurring decimal for years, and pundits would say it has defiled the government’s response.
Despite the forecast by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the recent flooding incidents in the country had led to the loss of lives and property in places such as Lokoja, Kogi State, Anambra, Imo, Benue and other parts of the country.
Though some partly blamed the flooding on Cameroon, which was said to have allegedly released water from its dam, others blamed it on global warming.
In an interview with REPORTERS AT LARGE, some experts analysed the situation and offered possible solutions.
Mr David Afolayan, the Chief Executive Officer of GIS Consult and a technologist, said town planners have a critical role in the planning of urban spaces, particularly remedial work on existing spaces, and that role cannot be overlooked. However, they cannot be blamed for the recent flooding, as it is a global warming phenomenon.
“They need to rely more on technology to model and inform the government, but beyond that, there is a need for the government to put resources in place to enforce whatever plans.
“People also need to honour and respect the advice on plans brought out.
“There is a need for the construction industry to become climate-smart and to build resilient houses.
“We are just starting to see the issue of flooding, and there will be more to come,” he said.
Afolayan noted that resilience construction practices can be implemented in countries that experience natural disasters such as earthquakes and fire.
“When there is an earthquake, there are designs that make the building adjust to the movement of the earth so that it doesn’t crumble, likewise, our construction industry should rise up and come up with flood resilience plans for houses so that buildings that are flooded can be increase to the flood or it will drain fast and they will make use of water-resistant materials.
“So all of these are things that should be put into planning, which should be part of the code that town planners enforce. Their policies and setbacks about building river channels should be enforced.
“So the town planning units of every government strata should step up their games for enforcement and be dynamic in their thinking for houses that are within flood areas.
“There should be government-backed policies for insurance; that would ensure that when there are disasters, it is not the government alone that responds but every individual will have a contribution to the response over time,” he said.
He stated that in enforcing the building codes, buildings in such areas should be designed to be flood-resilient, use water-resistant materials, and have climate-smart architectural designs so that losses are minimised.
Speaking on the impact of flooding on the economy of Nigeria, he said this cannot be really quantified because when there is flooding there is displacement, and farmlands are submerged, which means agriculture is at risk,
“With flooding, farming activities are greatly impacted and a lot of products that should come into the market is impacted, so also is transportation; goods cannot be transported when bridges have been destroyed by flood.
“For instance, there is fuel scarcity in Abuja because of flooding in Lokoja. And therefore, It is a cycle where everyone is impacted. As agriculture is impacted the livelihoods of people in the area is Impacted. And the food chain that the nation benefits from is impacted thereby making the cost of food rise,” Afolayan said.
He highlighted the nexus between flooding and health challenges, stating that when there is flooding there is a lot of exposure to malaria, typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases.
“The health sector would be impacted thereby affecting citizens’ productivity,” he said.
According to him, flooding could also lead to insecurity. When people are displaced, they can also become involved in criminality, which can then spread as it affects all year sectors of the economy.
“There is the need for a robust response not just to provide food and clothes to those displaced by flooding, but the government must take steps to reduce the shock on the economy.
“It should also ensure that the impact of this phenomenon that we have started to experience and from the scientific predictions will continue for a while due to climate change, is mitigated such that the economy of the country will be stronger,”
According to him, Nigerians generate waste like citizens of other nations, which contributes to environmental pollution.
“It becomes more evident in Nigeria because of the lawless ways most cities are managed. Nobody cares about environmental laws and their enforcement is very minimal.
“So activities like bush burning, burning of tyres and waste; all these go into the environment and affect the ozone layer, contributing to global warming.
“Most cities have waste dump sites that are on open fire, waste on the streets and on the road median and when it rains all these are washed into the gutters, river channels and it clogs the various channels, which then contributes to flooding.
“Nigerians contribute greatly to pollution and environmental hazards, which come back to haunt us,” he said.
Afolayan, however, said despite negative human activities to the environment in Nigeria, the way and magnitude of the flooding we are experiencing go beyond the waste we are generating alone,
He said it was a global phenomenon that is regarded as climate change. “The activities of the industrialised countries are largely responsible for global warming.
“Global warming has brought heavy rainfall which is discharged into rivers and seas which has led to a rise in the volume of water and when it happens all the buildings that are in the floodplains are impacted.
“The response or preparedness of state and federal governments is inadequate. Yes, they made some efforts to sensitise people and raise awareness as NIMET gave a lot of warming but it is never enough due to the magnitude of the disasters that would be occurring.”
The GIS expert called for a mainstream way of communicating danger to the people.
According to him, the government must enforce environmental pollution and management policies.
“The government needs to take steps to remediate the impact of flooding, and various government agencies need to work together as a team, not individually.
“When there is flooding, there is a need for a well-coordinated approach and use of technology as a response. The Nigerian government needs to understand that it is a global issue and see how other nations are responding and be guided in their response,” Afolayan said.
He encouraged the government to adopt strategies used in other regions.
“There is nowhere in the world that they can say that they are fully prepared for the impact of climate change. They are all working towards mitigating its impact and how they can reduce the footprint that is contributing to it. Identify key response units and collaborate.
“The government must empower and provide resources, as well as response strategies where people can evacuate to and guidance on where they should go and put in policies that will protect people and provide various resources for the people that are immediately impacted as well as prevent the loss of life,” he said.
Also, Mr Tunji Adepeju, a financial expert said the recent events seem to have arisen from the effects of climate change.
“We recall the blockage of the road linking Eruwa with Ibadan for a couple of days. Town planners could not have prevented what happened as we were told Ogun-Osun River Basin Authority had to release the water in order to avoid more serious damage to the dam and other facilities,” he said.
Adepeju noted that the problems at Lokoja and other coastal areas seemed beyond town planning alone.
“But for streams overflowing within cities, towns and villages I believe that many of us fail to comply with building rules regarding setbacks and so on.
“When flooding occurs in communities and such buildings are at risk, I personally will not blame the Town Planning Authorities.
“Having said the above, I suggest that Town Planning authorities have to be more strict in ensuring that people adhere to building rules and regulations, henceforth, without sentiment,” he said.
The financial expert stated that flooding had had many multiplier effects on the cost of living in the country, including the prices of food items, fuel, coal, etc.
Adepeju lamented on the rate at which people abuse the environment; the forests by felling trees without replacing them and excavating land all over, including illegal mining will no doubt create more problems as you stated above.
On the way forward, he stated that the appropriate agencies are doing well in giving forecasts and warnings.
“It is left for other parastatals and agencies to complement NiMet, and RBAs by taking prompt and proactive actions to forestall or mitigate likely problems on the land and people.
“Federal and State Ministries of Work, Land and Housing should engage in dredging of rivers and streams well in advance of time.
“Also people living around coastal areas must move out of the flood-prone areas as soon as they are advised.
“Members of the public should desist from throwing their waste on water paths,” he said.
He further said town planners have roles to play in mitigating flooding in the country.
“Layout of estates and land may have to be considered, and statutory setbacks from river banks must be put in place and enforced,” he said.
Speaking on the effects of the flooding on the Nigerian economy in relation to the agriculture, security, and environment subsectors, Adepeju stated that food shortages would arise from washed-away farmlands and produce.
“Loss of harvested crops and invariably income of the displaced farmers and traders are being experienced, which would lead to overstretched facilities at IDP camps and may lead to health issues or security being compromised.
Another expert, Prof Gbenga Ehinola, Department of Geology, University of Ibadan, said Nigeria has failed to do the minimum to keep its citizens safe from flooding, which has been a recurring decimal.
Ehinola aligned his views with those of Austin Avuru, who said dredging the River Benue to Lokoja and the River Niger from Baro in Niger State to the Atlantic Ocean, to a minimum draught of 10 feet, will transform both rivers to the same economic value as the Nile is to Egypt.
According to him, most importantly, these rivers and their tributaries would constitute the critical drainage channels to ensure that adjoining towns and villages remain safe while reaping the benefits of the fertile banks of these rivers.
