Flood: Former Director Charges Govt On Resource Survey

In order to make for a successful post flood management of the environment, the federal and State governments in the country have been called upon to carry out a resource survey to enable the authorities determine the present condition of the soil.

A former director, in the Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Fred Nwokocha who made the call in an interview with our correspondent over the weekend in Port Harcourt said The first thing is to do a resource survey to know what is the present status of the soil because of the flooding.”

He said such arrangement would help in determining what had actually been lost from the environment or forests.

He said it was important to know what was no more or lost like the various animals, trees and even non forestry products.

Nwokocha who is also a forestry expert further explained that in order to aid planning for the future in addition to knowing what was already lost, it was  also necessary to maintain what was on ground.

According to him, in forestry management the survey would enable the appropriate authorities plan for the future wellbeing of the forests or environment.

“Without the survey it would be impossible to know what necessary actions to be taken.”

“Without the survey it becomes difficult in managing the forests,” he said.

He further explained that it was through data obtained from such surveys that governments use in planning even as he said “the data enables us to know how the areas looked previously.”

However, he said such surveys should be a continuous process and not only when we have disasters.

He said it was the reformed inventory of our forests which enables us to know the areas that have been distorted.

In essence, he said, “this will enable the governments at all levels to plan ahead of what to do to restore or manage what was available.”