An Environmental Expert Calls For Declaration Of Emergency On The Flood Prone Areas To Avert Re-occurance.

By Aliyu Lafia

An environmental expert in waste management based in nasarawa state Mr. Abdullahi Bukhari Nata’ala has described climate change as a global challenges which need collective effort to address the menace.

He stated this while speaking with journalists on the recent flood in lafia, as a result of heavy downpour which lasted for over four hours that submarge several houses in the state capital.

Mr. Bukhari Nata’ala said, nasarawa state will not be excluded from the challenge calling on the state government to declare state of emergency on the flood prone areas most especially the illegal dumping of refuse in drainages.

According to him, people mostly are in the habit of using drainages as dumps side especially when it comes to rain which usually causing the blockage and at the end flood is affecting the residential places particularly those in the flash point.

“I don’t want government to play politics with the flood that happened and other climate change challenges in nasarawa state because what happened yesterday is very unfortunate, but the flash point have been experiencing the flood for over fifteen years which includes, the millioneers quarters, bukkan sidi, waziri bread and college agriculture areas,’ Mr. Nata’ala said……..”

It is the responsibility of government and the other stakeholders to declare state of emergency on the environment most especially the illegal disposal of waste in drainages in lafia the state capital and other local government areas which our people are pone of using drainages as illegal dumps side especially when it comes to rain,’ He said……..”

He said, there are areas that need government intervention and appealing to the state Urban Development Board NUDB, ACREsAL and NEWMAP to come to the rescue of people in lafia by constructing wide drainages that would be containing the water to enable it have free flow.

The environmental expert who is also a governorship flag bearer under the platform of Action Alliance-A A also express concern over the attitude of some people that playing politics with the incident and called on the state house of assembly to sponsor a private or an executive bill to make law prohibiting the use of drainage as illegal dumps side of waste and they should be funitive measures on the attitude.

In an interview with the managing director nasarawa state Urban Development board NUDB Engr Mohammad Yahaya Wada said, the state government has commenced a reassessment and redesign of the storm water drainage system in lafia following a heavy flood that submerged houses and cut off the federal highway in the metropolis.

He said the incident appeared to be a return-period flood that was not captured in the initial design of the town’s drainage system, adding that, the flooding had provided them with an opportunity to improve its existing flood-control designs and develop more effective drainage infrastructure for the state capital.

“This is a natural occurrence. We have been working on designs for flood control in this area, and what happened today has given us an opportunity to improve on our design,” he said.

He said the government would  undertake more detailed assessments of the affected areas to determine the appropriate interventions and improve the capacity of the drainage network.

“There is a mosque and a church behind my office that were flooded. Some buildings around Tudun Kauri and behind this office also collapsed. Most of them are mud houses, the collapse was as a result of the volume of water,” he said……..”

He also confirmed that the culvert along the federal highway near the College of Agriculture, lafia, was overwhelmed by the flood water, resulting in the temporary disruption of traffic on the major route.

“The place is like a trough because of its vertical alignment and the size of the culvert is inadequate. It is about a 2-by-2 meters box culvert. The volume of water was so much it became a retaining wall and flooded over the top of the road. That culvert requires expansion,” he said.

The official advised residents living along waterways and in flood-prone areas to temporarily relocate, warning that further rainfall could worsen the situation.

He said some of the affected buildings had already developed cracks and could collapse, making it unsafe for residents to remain in them during the ongoing rainy season.

“We cannot be everywhere. Any serious construction work now, depending on the ground, will cause more harm than good. We will put some proactive temporary measures like diversion drains, but people living in those areas should stay away for now, maybe after this rainy season,” he said……..”

On whether the government would enforce the relocation of residents from the affected areas, he said the agency had no immediate plan to use force but would continue to sensitize communities on the dangers of remaining in vulnerable locations.

He stressed that urban development agencies had a responsibility to ensure that residential areas were provided with basic infrastructure while taking safety and security into consideration.