Residents of many coastal communities in Nigeria are afraid as Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) warns that the worst is yet to come, writes OLATUNDE ODEBIYI
Pupils in four schools in Auyo Local Government Area of Jigawa State have been forced to say at home. No thanks to days of incessant rainfalls, which have submerged roads leading to the four schools.
The Education Secretary in the area, Alhaji Ibrahim Dauda, said the schools are Unik-Babba Junior Secondary School, Unik-Gana Primary School, Afarmo Secondary School and Guyu Primary school.
The official said the situation was compounded by high water level in Kafin-Hausa River flowing into the affected areas.
“The access roads leading to schools in Guyu and Afarmo have been submerged by the flood; you can only access them using a boat.
“But in the case of Unik-Babba and Unik-Gana schools, apart from the inaccessible roads, the buildings have also been submerged, making learning impossible,“ Dauda said.
The situation had also affected the Federal Government Homegrown School Feeding Programme in the area as cooks hired could not supply meals to pupils.
He said the matter had been reported to the local government council for prompt actions.
But the worst may not have come for the schools and others in the area. The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) says more flood incidents would be experienced due to high rainfall intensity of long duration. The Southern part of the country, the agency added, will feel the brunt more.
NIHSA Director-General Clement Nze said relevant stakeholders, especially individuals and state governments, have failed to heed the warning issued before the onset of flooding season across the country.
“Going by the prediction by Nigerian Meteorological Agency`s (NiMet), during the 2019 seasonal rainfall prediction, which they said there will be late onset of rainy season in Nigeria this year and early cessation.
“In orders words, rainfall will start very late and will end early, it is expected that by 26 of this month, rainfall will cease in Katsina and Sokoto and begin to move down to the south.
“But in the southern parts of Nigeria rainfall will still continue to fall up till November and even December in places like Bayelsa, Rivers even Delta will be experiencing rainfall up to late November.
“In that case, this is the main reason why we are gathered here today, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, has been closely monitoring the many flooding incidents taking place across the country with the attendant loss of lives and property.
“This means that relevant stakeholders, especially individuals and state governments, failed to heed our warnings issued before the onset of flooding season in the country.
“The agency is concerned about the non-adherence to flood predictions for 2019, thereby resulting in avoidable flooding incidents, leading to loss of lives, property, disruption of economic activities and loss of several hectares of agricultural lands,” he said.
Nze added that as at Monday, the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon is still impounding water, adding that it was not yet certain if there would be release of water from the dam in 2019.
He said that river Benue was rising steadily, due to local rainfall with attendant heavy inflows from the tributaries of the river.
He explained that the steady rising would likely cause river flooding in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states.
“State so far affected by various degrees of flooding are Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kwara Adamawa, Benue, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, Kogi, Nasarawa.
“Also, Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Abia, Cross River, Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Ekiti and Oyo, including FCT.
“More than 100 local government areas within the states listed below are counting their losses,’’ he said.
According to him, river flooding as well as coastal flooding have come to stay as floods from the upper catchment of the Niger Basin had arrived the country.
“Therefore, state and local governments should endeavour to remove structures built within the floodplains, clear blocked drains, culverts and other waterways,’’ he said.
The fear of flood on Tuesday made the Lekki Estate Residents and Stakeholders Association (LERSA) intensify efforts to reduce the flooding in the area ahead of the September-October rain projections. LERSA President James Emadoye called for the completion of the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
“Lagos generally is below sea level. Lekki which is a large area is very close to the sea shore, so we have to do all we can to ensure we have a good environment.
“We have done a lot of work among various estates to ensure the rains does not wash us away and we expect a better situation than what we had earlier in the year.
“People at this end are really suffering and when there is downpour, it takes about three hours to move from Abraham Adesanya to Sangotedo or further to Abijo Crown Estate.
“We therefore plead with the state government to resume work immediately in order to justify the toll being collected for over 12 years and bring succour to residents,” Emadoye said.
The South West II Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr Rufus Onimisi, believes effective refuse collection system will help curb highway flooding in Lagos State.
Onimisi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that some residents of Lagos used open manholes, gutters and other drainage channels as refuse dumps thereby clogging weep holes and other road drainage networks.
He explained that the resultant effect of indiscriminate refuse disposal had blocked drainage channels.
“The problem of flooding of our highways usually caused by blocked drains can be checked if there is an adequate and effective refuse collection mechanism.
“Waste management should be holistic from point of generation to final disposal,’’ he said.
Onimisi said FERMA, out of its limited resources, had been cleaning weep holes and other highway drainage channels across the state.
Enugu
Many residents of four communities of Okpu Ekoli, Amabiriba, Amagu and Amaeze in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State have been displaced by flood in the area.
The residents pleaded with the state government on Monday when a member representing the area in the State House of Assembly, Mr Chinedu Okwu, visited them to assess the level of damage caused by the flood.
A resident, Mr Gilbert Ogadi, said the people were surprised to witness that the communities were flooded because such unfortunate incident had not occurred in the last 30 years.
Ogadi said the flood destroyed many things, including farmlands, livestock, uprooted economic trees and other means of livelihood and appealed for urgent assistant from the state government.
Another resident whose house was affected, Mrs Patricia Nwonye, said: “Everything was fine until around 2a.m. this morning, when l was woken by the flood, which has brought pain to us.’’
“Aside losing my entire savings; the flood also killed my livestock and collapsed one of my buildings. We have been rendered homeless by the incident. Please come to our aid,’’ she said.
The Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area, Mr Ezekiel Chukwu, described the flood as “an unfortunate incident’’ that befell the local government but assured that the council would provide succour to the affected people.
Plateau
In Plateau, fund is hampering the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). The agency’s Director, Search and Rescue, Mrs Juni Bala, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that the agency had conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the needs of the affected communities.
“Recently, we experienced incidences of flood in some local governments in the state. We have Shendam, some parts of Pankshin Local Government; Mangu Local Government, Quan Pan Local Government; Kanam Local Government and Jos East Local Government areas. We first experienced flash flood in Jos North.
“We have undertaken an on-the-spot assessment 0f these areas that were affected by flooding and we have submitted a report to government.
“It is not quite long that we sent the report, we are waiting for the response,’’ she said.
Bala explained that the agency did not have funds of its own to address the situation, and that it was when government went through the report, approved and released the funds that the agency would be able to assist the victims.
She said apart from assisting the victims with food and other materials including farm equipments, the agency would also encourage the local governments to develop a contingency plan on how to attend to emergencies.
She said the aim of the contingency plan was to enable the local governments to assist the victims first before help would come from the state and national emergencies.
“The flood also affected people that farm near the river banks; we are suggesting that we will educate them to also educate their people not to farm close to the rivers.
“Because the experience is basically that of people that were farming by the river, the flood experienced this year, there were no houses, just farmlands that were affected by the flood,’’ she said.
Bala advised the people not to live and farm in flood prone areas, and should instead venture into dry season farming.
