Rivers govt, experts differ on cause of flooding in PH
The Rivers state government and some experts have expressed different opinions on the main cause of the last weekend’s flooding in parts of Port Harcourt, the capital city of the state that destroyed properties and rendered thousands of residents homeless.
An environmentalist, Mr. Reuben Ochoa, said in Port Harcourt that the flooding was partly caused by failure on the part of government to carry out environmental impact assessment before carrying out sand-filling projects in parts of the city.
He stated: “Reclamation of land, especially those coastal and swamp areas which were supposed to be natural reservoir for excess water are today being sand-filled and this excess water does no longer have any place to go to. Government should be able to carry out environmental assessment to know what would likely be the impact of these activities on the areas. In as much as reclamation is good, it often comes with its own disadvantages.”
The environmentalist also advised the government to make tree-planting compulsory for property developers in the state, adding that trees would help control flooding.
Government should come up with a policy where every land developer must definitely create an area where trees must be planted. It should be compulsory; it shouldn’t be an optional thing. Most of these vegetations that have been destroyed are not being replaced anywhere.”
Also blaming the state government for the flooding, the lawmaker representing Port Harcourt Constituency 1 in the Rivers state House of Assembly, Hon. Victoria Nyeche, has advised that sand-filling and land reclamation projects in Rivers State should not be done without an environmental impact assessment and spelt-out environmental management plans.
Hon. Nyeche said during a sympathy visit to Nkpogu community in Port Harcourt, badly affected by the floods, that there was no EIA and EMP done with regards to the Rivers state government reclamation projects at Nkpogu bye-pass by the Ogbu n’Abali community in Port Harcourt City local government area.
She also said that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has set up an environmental committee to interface with the victims of the flooding.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to Governor Nyesom Wike on Special Projects, Mr. Cyril Dum Wite, has denied that the flooding experienced in parts of Port Harcourt last weekend was partly caused by the land reclamation projects currently going on at the Eastern bye-pass area of the city.
Also blaming the state government for the flooding, the lawmaker representing Port Harcourt Constituency 1 in the Rivers state House of Assembly, Hon. Victoria Nyeche, has advised that sand-filling and land reclamation projects in Rivers State should not be done without an environmental impact assessment and spelt-out environmental management plans.
Hon. Nyeche said during a sympathy visit to Nkpogu community in Port Harcourt, badly affected by the floods, that there was no EIA and EMP done with regards to the Rivers state government reclamation projects at Nkpogu bye-pass by the Ogbu n’Abali community in Port Harcourt City local government area.
She also said that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has set up an environmental committee to interface with the victims of the flooding.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to Governor Nyesom Wike on Special Projects, Mr. Cyril Dum Wite, has denied that the flooding experienced in parts of Port Harcourt last weekend was partly caused by the land reclamation projects currently going on at the Eastern bye-pass area of the city.
The reclamation and the dredging projects going on have nothing to do with waterways. In spite of the dredging, water will always find its level. The water way is not being blocked by any drainage activity. This is open to verification. Anybody who goes there will see the channel under the bridge that is taking the water out down through the creeks to the Bonny axis of the sea.
However, the state governor, last Sunday evening assured residents of Port Harcourt and other flooded communities that his administration would tackle the environmental challenge headlong.
He empathised with all resident affected by the flooding, assuring them that his administration would work with relevant agencies to resolve the issues thrown up by the flooding.
Speaking after he inspected some areas impacted by flooding caused by torrential rain falls, Governor Wike directed the relevant government agencies to take immediate remedial measures and directed the continuous de-silting of all major canals in the town.
Some residents in Port Harcourt affected by the flood are counting their losses. Some of them who spoke said they were traumatized and still struggling to deal with the devastating effect of last weekend’s flood which destroyed their properties and displaced them from their homes.
At Abuloma axis of Port Harcourt, one of the female residents lamented: “Rain entered all our batchers completely. The rain was too much. Since 1a.m. today, we couldn’t sleep till 5a.m. We were wading water out of our homes. The water carried the foam on top of which my baby was sleeping and my baby was floating on top of it.”A male victim also said: “My electronics and other household property are almost condemned now. The flood has rendered us homeless.”
At Abuloma axis of Port Harcourt, one of the female residents lamented: “Rain entered all our batchers completely. The rain was too much. Since 1a.m. today, we couldn’t sleep till 5a.m. We were wading water out of our homes. The water carried the foam on top of which my baby was sleeping and my baby was floating on top of it.”A male victim also said: “My electronics and other household property are almost condemned now. The flood has rendered us homeless.”
