Abuja residents panic as flooding looms

Some residents of Abuja and its environs have expressed fear over the looming flood as a result of poor environmental and sanitation practices.

The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that rainy seasons have been a difficult period for them as floods always submerge their belongings.

Mr Jacob Idris, a resident of Nyanya, said that they have been battling floods every rainy season even after clearing the drainages around them.

He said until the bridge and the road are reconstructed and a bigger ring is fixed; they may not get out of the problem.

‘’We don’t have the financial strength to construct a bigger bridge and a better road. That’s why we are appealing to the government to come to our aid.

‘’We have lost millions of naira worth of goods and property to flood in this area and we are afraid that if nothing is done this year, property or even lives may be lost to flood.

‘’We have started seeing signs that it will rain heavily this year, since the first rain had caused serious flooding’’ he said.

Mrs Amaka Ukachukwu, a resident of Mararaba, Nasarawa State, said to prevent a recurrence of flood this year, the public needed to be sensitised to desist from dumping refuse on water channels.

‘’We need to sensitise residents to the danger of dumping refuse on waterways and major channels.

‘’Now that the rains are coming, we appeal to the government to be prepared and assist us on time.

‘’Some of us are poor, we should be relocated to camps as usual, so we are calling for early preparation in case such occurrences happen,’’ she said.

Mr Abdullahi Sanwo, a resident of Ado, Nasarawa State appealed to residents to avoid blocking waterways with refuse.

He said that a simple environment-friendly rule of cleaning the waterways should be adhered to.

‘’We do not want to witness flooding this year in our community; we are educating our people on the need to keep the drainages free of refuse.

“Aside from that, we use the media houses to educate the public to clear their drainages and to cut the weeds on the waterways,’’ he said.

Mrs Josephine Paul, a resident of Mpape, a suburb of Abuja, said that a committee has been constituted in her area to monitor residents to ensure proper disposal of waste.

Paul said that waste bins were provided by the government, so residents are being monitored to ensure the proper use of the waste bins.

“We had an agreement to contribute the sum of N100,000 in order to hire labourers that will assist in clearing the drainages and the weeds around our premises,” he said.

Mr Isaac Dogo, a resident of Garki has advised residents against blocking of drainages, adding that nature will fight back and the result is flooding.

“I urged the residents to take precaution against the impending doom,’’ he said.

He appealed to the government to find a lasting solution to address the issue of flooding in the country in general.

The Director-General of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) said that rainfall was predicted to be earlier than the long-term average in most parts of the country.

Although in 2023 NiMet forecast had predicted a largely normal rainfall pattern, it also indicated a high possibility of flash floods in some states.

Prof. Mansur Matazu, NiMet Director-General, said there was likely to be an elevated dry spell in some states of the north with a potentially adverse impact on planted crops.