Flooding: Stakeholders Want Early Warning Stations In N’Delta

As a way of militating the impacts of flooding in Port Harcourt city and the rest of the Niger Delta, stakeholders have called for the installation of early warning stations on the major rivers across the region, while flood risk and vulnerability maps of the region be produced.
This was contained in a communiqué at the end of a technical presentation on management of Urban floods in the Niger Delta: Port Harcourt case study organised by the Port Harcourt chapter of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society in Port Harcourt.
The communiqué also said the several creeks that drain Port Harcourt should be properly mapped, regularly channelized and used to advantage by acting as the major runoff evacuating channel outlets of the various catchments.
The forum called for a stop to the encroachment of flood plains, swamps and waterways.
It urged that all road side drainages be properly designed to accommodate the expected maximum runoff/storm water.
The stakeholders further called for the establishment of integrated, holistic and collaborative flood policy with clear operating guidelines to govern the management of flood and its impacts based on coordinated catchment planning and management approach.
The forum stressed the need for public awareness and enlightenment campaigns to enhance one participation of all stakeholders as well as achieve altitudinal change towards cleaner and safer environment, proper waste management and enforcement of environmental laws.
The forum called for all relevant professional bodies in the region to be co-opted in flood management.
Earlier, Professor Enuvie G. Akpokodjue had said that characteristics of the Niger Delta favours flooding including heavy seasonal rainfalls, flat topography, geology/soils, thereby giving rise to poor drainage denser network of rivers/creeks, stream rivulets and urbanisation.