As the raining season is underway across Nigeria, SenatePresident, Dr. Bukola Saraki has called on states across the federation to take proactive measures to mitigate against and minimise the risk of flooding in their areas.

In a message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu in Abuja, Saraki stated that recent reports show that as many as 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states are at risk for flooding due to inadequate town-planning, construction oversights and obstructed drainage systems.

“We have to take this issue of flooding very seriously,” the Senate President said, “God has blessed Nigeria in so many ways. We are not like many other nations that experience cataclysmic natural disasters that leave considerable destruction.

“This issue of flooding is something that with proper planning and proactive steps, we can minimise and mitigate against the loss of lives and damage to property. What we need to do is for all stakeholders — by this I mean governments across all levels, town planning councils and our emergency management agencies — to meet to discuss how we can put in place long-term strategies to stop these floods so that we can end this fire-brigade approach of dealing with crisis situation”, he stated.

Saraki also listed some immediate steps that States across the Federation need to take to reduce flooding.

He said: “Our state governments need to work with town-planners to identify areas that are at risk for flooding. Additionally, we need to immediately put in place both sensitisation and punitive measures to ensure that people are not blocking our drainage systems. When these drainage systems are blocked — especially in urban centres — the water begins to accumulate during heavy rains.”

Saraki also called for a comprehensive re-evaluation of the nation’s dams while adding that this re-evaluation by experts would allow the country to know which of our dams — specifically those that are located close to residential areas — are channeling water into towns.

“Right now, we cannot leave any stone unturned,” he said, “We must immediately look into our own man-made structures. We have to identify which of our dams and other infrastructure are contributing to the frequency of flood and work out strategies to tone down their negative impact.

“The Senate, through our oversight powers, will continue to work to ensure that our town planning laws are updated, and we will continue to support the executive in every way possible to enforce the codes and ensure that states that are at risk do not turn into disaster zones,” Saraki stated.