The issue of flooding has assumed frightening proportions going by what was recently experienced in Lagos State and other parts of the country. Flooding isn’t mean peculiar to Nigeria, it is a global challenge. The Cable News Network reported that flooding stunts economic activity at an estimated cost of over $4bn yearly. This is why the warning by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency of the looming flooding in some states is timely. According NIHSA, at least 15 states could be submerged by water, a development that has triggered off coastal and river flooding.
In Nigeria, past experiences indicate that flooding results from the release of water in some dams and the breaking of their banks, thereby causing more harm especially when the release is not done timely. The resultant effect of this inaction is the colossal loss of lives and property, destruction of farmlands and ecosystem, spiralling food insecurity and environmental hazards.
Apart from the negative impact on agriculture, flooding destroys roads by making them inaccessible, slows down commercial activities and exposes people to accidents. Hence, constant public enlightenment should be sustained for the people to desist from dumping refuse into canals.
The present system seems to encourage illegal dumping of waste because offenders are rarely apprehended and prosecuted. Central waste collection system is usually absent in many communities, thus making people to resort to self-help by patronising cart-pushers to dispose off their refuse whenever they are unable to throw them away into the gutters, drainages and dry roads. We have poor waste quality control; abuse of master plan; indiscriminate dumping of linear low density polythene and hard density polyethylene and lack of greenbelts to allow water infiltrate naturally into the ground.
Lack of proper urban planning has further contributed to flooding and not necessarily the amount of rainfall received. Most cities in Nigeria are not carefully planned with homes and offices constructed, with little regard for nature and town planning. This non-conformity with town planning regulations encourages flooding, which is a fallout of the way buildings are constructed, as most builders hardly link the generation of flood to the corrugated iron sheet rooftops being used in roofing houses.
Lagos, arguably the most populous city in Africa and home to around 25 million people, is a low-lying city on the coast of Nigeria, and could become uninhabitable by the end of the century; courtesy of climate change and population surge.
To tackle flooding challenges, the government should read the riot act to residents against engaging in blocking of gutters and drains with solid waste. Citizens should stop throwing waste into drainage during rainfall. Those who built houses on water channels should be advised to relocate, and such houses should be demolished. Fighting indiscriminate waste disposal requires collaborative effort, and that is why it is imperative to partner advocacy groups, health bodies, media, farmer cooperatives and neighbourhood associations to mitigate environmental challenges to reduce to the barest minimum, the negative effects of flooding.
Presently, Nigeria cannot be said to have proper disaster risk management strategies in place coupled with our failing ecosystem. Consequently, national and state emergency management institutions should be restructured and their capacities strengthened to adopt technology in assessing flood impact. And measures such as the construction of dams, use of nature-based solutions like tree planting, provision of shelter and relief for victims would aid people’s coping capacity and capability on virile flood management.
Equipping the rapid response team, deployment of drone technology to access flood impact, training and retraining, and capacity building for emergency responders are also key. It is equally important to stress that pro-active and contingency plans should be introduced to evacuate people to higher level away from flood disasters and to provide fresh drinking water to avert disease outbreak.
Furthermore, the release of water from the dams can be done reasonably and in such a manner that tragic incidents are minimised or prevented. In addition, the government should enhance planning policy, sustain urban growth and development, improve public health and people’s well-being, and widen stakeholder engagement in cities for a broader approach to addressing the challenge.
- Dr Adewale Kupoluyi writes from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State
