We Must Do Something About Flooding Before Floods Kill Us.

Talks about the importance of implementing flood control measures to save lives, homes and means of living for millions of Nigerians.
Recently, the Lagos government issued a flood alert to its citizens. Before then, during the Muslim Eid festival, some farmers in Niger state came to me in Bida and reported that their farms were flooded, requesting for government assistance. So I went to see for myself. Their maize, guinea corn, rice and sugarcane were all submerged.

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I took this picture at one of the villages.
Since then, hundreds of communities in Nigeria have suffered from flooding.
Our National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) always works with the state governments to help the affected communities. However, a more permanent solution is needed, because this is a not a problem that would soon go away. For once, we should be proactive to avoid loss of lives, farms and our homes.
I’ve therefore asked the experts in the field and the general public about what they would suggest to solve this problem once and for all. This is because flooding is a common phenomenon in many countries, but you find that measures are devised in such a fashion that when it floods or when water gathers, it disappears after some hours. In Nigeria, it remains for weeks.

Solutions

The late president Yar’Adua planned to dredge the River Niger which would have taken care of aspects of this problem. However, the execution of the plan by President Goodluck Jonathan turned into a joke.
River Benue should receive the same action because the two rivers have silted up — sand and clay have formed sediments and do not allow the water room to settle, hence the flooding of our farms and villages.
One expert also suggested the building of dams along the rivers and tributaries, so that even when the Republic of Cameroon releases its own water, we could redirect and harness the water, instead of allowing it to harm us.
Another expert, Dr. Tunji Lawal who has a Ph.D. in the field, observed that we need to think this way:
“What are the exact causative factors that caused the flood? Sedimentation is just one out of numerous causes of flood. It’s important to ascertain this and also determine the effect of this on the flood event. The effect of other factors has to be determined as well, factors such as:
— the effect of land use upstream of the flooded area;
— the effect of climate change;
— rain events — was there an extreme rainfall event?
— the effectiveness of existing mitigating measure, structural and non-structural”.

Mitigation

It’s not always necessary to construct a dam for flood mitigation purposes. Artificial retention and detention basins could suffice. If it’s ascertained that sedimentation is the problem, then dredging of the river could be a solution, this will surely increase the capacity and subsequently mitigate flood downstream.
Find more suggestions made by Nigerians when I conducted the little poll of my own.
Ibrahim Dan-Halilu: “Ibraheem Dooba, this is a food for thought. For many years, experts have proffered solutions to the flooding problem but it appears our governments both at the centre and state level are not taking the advice. I was in Makurdi couple of years ago and was shocked to see how the Benue River bank had been turned into a ghost’s haven. In seriously enterprising nations such a resource would be a beehive of commercial activities. What is holding us down is too much focus on oil revenue, excessive anti-business laws, and the fear of trying something new. Life is an adventure. Water resources can never be a curse unless people don’t know how to harness them to generate wealth, create jobs and conserve nature. There is huge investment potentials in those two rivers. We Nigerians, especially from the north, need to think of what we can do to harness the God-given water resources at our doorsteps to make life better for our people”.
Nimali Rodrigo: “Creating dams and channels throughout the land is a form of water harvesting that reduces flooding and erosion, plus provides a natural irrigation source.  The animals and village dwellers are also sustained by it”.
Zubairu Ibrahim Tswachi: “The dredging of Rivers Niger and Benue is a good alternative. Dr Goodluck Jonathan frustrated this laudable proposal“.
Ibrahim Dan-Halilu: “Let’s learn from Egypt’s recent bold and creative move of utilizing the seas to build another canal through public-private partnership. If former President Obasanjo could tax all Nigerian workers in the 70s to contribute money to the South African anti-apartheid movement led by the African National Congress, what stops President Muhammadu Buhari from sending a bill to the National Assembly to tax every Nigerian adult to contribute money from their income for the construction of a modern water way across Rivers Niger and Benue to connect with the Atlantic? If we have this in place, poverty will be a thing of the past; floods will be contained to the barest minimum. If Nigerians from other regions are not interested in the venture, the 19 northern states can take the lead and enroll their workers in the venture with moderate shareholding”.
Abdia Baraka from Kenya: “Why  don’t you construct big dams to curb flooding? As much exploitation of ground water sources are relevant, we waste a lot during rainy season, and when rainy season is over, nothing much is left for dry season!”
Suleiman Baba Alhaji: “We seriously need dams in these areas, it will solve the problem and encourage irrigation farming which may create more jobs”.
Final words: this is the 21^st century where most of the solutions to our problems have already been created. Therefore, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel when we can just copy and paste what is already out there to save ourselves, our farms and our homes. It is even better when those solutions are not only safety measures but also measures to boost the economy.

Author, Ibraheem Dooba