Ikuru Lizzy
Port Harcourt – The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has assured Nigerians on its preparedness for effective management plan against 2019 flood prediction in the South South zone.
Mr Ibarakumo Walson, South South zonal coordinator of NEMA, gave the assurance on Thursday at a stakeholders coordination meeting in Port Harcourt.
Walson, who also called for long-term measures against flooding, said that the stakeholders meeting was necessary to build synergy among relevant officials monitoring the 2019 flood prediction.
According to him, the essence of the stakeholders coordination meeting is to bring everybody together to build partnership so as to work in synergy in the task of flood disaster management.
“The prediction by the Hydrological Services Agency on the possibility of flooding this year was specifically drafted into high risk areas, probable areas and less probable areas.
“What this specifically means is that not every community in the region would be affected by flood. So, we are already sensitising those communities that are in high risk areas.
“Here in Rivers State, there are three local government areas that fall into high flood risk areas, they are: Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA), Ahoada West and Abua/Odual Local Government areas,” he said.
Walson also explained that presently, the data on water level according to the Hydrological Services Agency, when compared to the water level in 2012 showed that this year’s flood might be more than that of 2012.
“So far, having identified these three are local government areas at high flood risk, we have been identifying higher grounds using our technical experts with the aid of the GPS recording.
“Our team of experts have been going across these target areas with a view of locating higher grounds in readiness to establishing camps for the internally displaced,” he said.
Walson called for a more permanent approach to flood management, adding that the dredging of the rivers, creating new towns with locations above sea levels would go a long way to check flooding for decades.
Representative of the Rivers Government, Non Governmental Organisations, the Police and sister security agencies at the meeting discussed various disaster management techniques.
They respectively commended NEMA for organising the forum and assured the agency on efforts at reducing the impact of the flood as predicted on residents.
(NAN).