2013 Flood: Don Advocates Food Stockpile

With another  flooding of the magnitude of last year  hanging in the air,  a university teacher, Prof Ndowa Lale, has called on governments and relevant agencies to take pro active  measures in reducing the effects on plant life this time around.

Speaking with our correspondent in an exclusive  interview over the weekend, Prof.  Lale of the  Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt said if a repeat of what happened  last year came  to reality,  plant life would completely be affected.

According to him, flooding  first affects the “erection” in the soil and disrupts  the efficiency of micro organisms   and smaller life which add richness to the soil.

The Professor of Animal  and Environmental Biology said the whole process of  nutrients intake would be distorted.

He expressed the fear that a lot of problems would arise from the expected flooding as crops that were on land would be affected.

One of the measures  needed most before the flood  eventually comes  according to the  don was  the making of strategic stock.

“On e of the measures that ought to have been taken before now would have been to make proper arrangement for what we call strategic stock” he said.

He explained  the process to include the stock pile  of food  items and crops both plant and animal for emergency.

According to Prof. Lale, every sensible country does it even as he urged every region to do it.

He further  explained  that the measure  was to ensure  food   sufficiency  for the people in times of emergencies.

“If  the flood comes and  what we have in the market is sold  out then it will become a serious matter.

“Now government will have to do this, of course it is an emergency thing,” he said.

He further explained that the strategic stock measure  should be prioritised through the provision of infrastructure and facilities for  storage like silos.

“Now if  we don’t have silos and engage in massive purchase, of food were will they store them” he said.

He decried the politicising of the camps even as he condemned the allegation  that people were fed  “gala” and sachet water last year.

However, efforts made to speak to the chairman of the flood management committee for 2013, Prof. Winson  Bellgam was not successful. Investigation by our correspondent showed  that  the state was taking  pro-active measures to reduce the effect of the flooding.

For example, in Ahoada East local  government area, camps are being  put in order.

It would be recalled that meteorological agencies had disclosed that  in Rivers State, local government  areas that would be affected include  ABOLGA, AWELGA, Degema, Okrika and ONELGA.