There are signs that residents of Rivers State and its environs may witness heavy rainfalls this year.
The signs are already ominous. For some weeks now, the clouds have been building up and some parts of the state especially Port Harcourt city and its environs are experiencing what meteorologists usually describe as “light showers, lightning and thunder storm.”
According to Professor Emeritus Enuvie Akpokodje, Rivers State and the Niger Delta region of Nigeria are located within the flood plains of Nigeria.
This description means that as long as there are rainy seasons, Rivers State and its environs will continue to experience flooding, if nothing is done about it.
An Environmentalist, Ogbunie Prosper Jeremiah, told The Tide through a WhatsApp message that inasmuch as man cannot control rains, what is needed are mitigative measures to control flooding.
“On early rainfall and attendant flooding, we cannot control rainfall, but put in place measures to mitigate flooding.”
Jeremiah, who is the Port Harcourt chapter Chairman of the Nigeria Mining and Geoscience Society, Rivers/Bayelsa States, said aggressive publicity was needed to sensitise Rivers people with the view to preparing them ahead of the rainy season.
“So firstly, publicity on early warning on areas prone to flooding, the cause effect and what to do.”
He listed some measures that should be taken to check mate flooding in the forthcoming rainy season. Some of these measures according to him, include, cleaning and desilting of waterways and canals, cleaning of blocked drains, dredging of creeks/rivers to accommodate more volume of water while people should be discouraged from dumping waste into drains.
The NMGS chairman also called for the establishment of rehabilitation centres for people living in flood prone areas.
Other measures that should be put in place according to him, are construction of shore protectors in the riverine areas of the state.
Also speaking, another respondent, Miss Blessing Digbani, stressed the need for a proper waste disposal system, adding, while the government is doing its own parts, citizens should play their role in ensuring that drainages around the city are kept clean through regular desilting.
According to her, people should stop dumping of refuse both in drainages and on the roadside.
The environmentalist also urged for the constitution of a task force to monitor drainages, while government should ensure that more drainages are interlinked with the view to creating channels that will take water out of the city.
Digbani also called on residents to stop building on drainages and water right of ways,
On his part, Prince William Chinwo, regretted that some drainages in Port Harcourt City and environs are already filled with polymer products or plastics.
“Some of the new drainages are already filled with silts and polymer products or plastics.”
He said some of the sealed drainages have manholes that are very small, thus not able to be cleaned in case of blockade.
“People are still dumping refuse into public drains like observed in Sangana Street, so the problem of blockages lingers,” he said.
The environmentalist also condemned constant encroachment of people into flood right of way and river banks trough sand filling and property development.
He also regretted that the authorities, particularly the local government councils, were not taking the issue of sanitations seriously, adding their negligence was contributing to environmental lawlessness.
Chinwo also regretted that some motor parks and streets including some residential areas were lacking good sanitary facilities.
Also speaking, Chairman of Abua/Odual Local Government Council, Hon Daniel Opelia Daniel, said the problem of flooding, especially in the Orashi region of the state can be tackled through the dredging of the Mbiama River.
He said this will enable water to flow easily into the sea.
According to Mrs Christie Iwezor, all drainages in the city should be desilted while anyone caught dumping refuse into the gutters should be arrested and punished.