Taking proactive measures against Lokoja recurrent flood
Since 2012 till date lokoja has become one of the most affected cities in terms of flood. The flood of 2012 and 2020 is about the worst in recent times!
Yes flood is a natural disaster but a much bigger problem is that the state government do too little about it, what we have is as bad as the state government folding her hands on yearly basis for the flood to come and go and in the process destroy properties and displace many people as much as possible.
The solution to flood and flooding cannot be reduced to sharing relief materials and visitations, the government must be more proactive, sensible, and creative in confronting the challenges.
This are my thoughts and ideas:
1. Permanently relocate people from flood prone areas.
The practise of people abandoning their houses during flood and then coming back to it after the flood is gone must be stopped. It is just like a cycle which rotates between every nine (9) months. Since 2012 people have been moving in and out of their houses.
The flood has already shown not only its map but her natural route, we will do well to respect the will and direction of nature. Now that the route, direction and spread of the flood is known what we need to is to see how we can culture the movement of flood against the city, but without permanently relocating the people we will never be able to out-manoeuvre the flood and then the crisis will continue. At least one of the fundamental advantage of permanently relocating people from flood prone areas is that it permanently solves the problem of loss of lives and properties and ends the trauma of displacement.
2. Planting Trees
After Relocating the people permanently from flood prone areas, the next thing to do is to start planting tree. From NATACO to Ganaja Village if the people are permanently relocated form the flood belt between 500,000 -1,000,000 million trees can be planted and this will naturally reduce the impact of the flood by 40-50%.
Everything about a tree from the top to the bottom reduces flood, rain drops that land on leaves evaporate into the air they do not touch the soil; therefore, rainwater would be captured by the trees. The root of the tree also creates passages in the soil as they grow bigger, water flows into the passages instead of flowing into the river, again the roots of the tree also hold the soil together and stops the water from washing into the river. Trees are one of he easiest and cheapest ways to stop flooding, some of the trees that can be planted are; River Birch, Black Tupelo, Weeping Willow, Bald cypress, Red Marple, Hack Berry and others alike, we have over ten different trees that can serve this purpose. Trees will also protect the wetlands of the rivers therefore planting trees is one of our best bet and the sooner the better!
3. Flood defences and Stone Walls
Long before the advancement of technology Island and water prone areas such as Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, and others alike have been erecting stonewalls as barriers against water and redirecting the flow of water. The stone wall can particularly be useful in NATACO Express road and the Ganaja route towards Ajaokuta, water takes over certain points on this roads and makes it impossible for vehicles to access the road by building stone walls around the these places we can divert the flow of water from this spot and there can be free movement for vehicles during the flood.
4. New Lokoja
It is inevitable the state government must urgently begin to work on the New Lokoja Project. As it were the major hubs are close to the flood belt. The international market and other market is less than 500feet to the flood belt, the major park NATACO is also less than 500 feet to the flood belt, most of the banks in lokoja are less than 2kms to the flood belt, the government house itself is less than 1km to the flood belt, a lot of residential hoses are at the immediate tip of the flood belt or on the belt. There is the urgent need to decongest people and activities from the flood belt. Very soon water will permanently take over areas that are flooded on yearly basis.
5. Sensitization of the public on Climate change
The State government need to do more on sensitizing the people of the impact of climate change. A lot of our people knows nothing about climate change and its consequences, people need to understand how their lives and the choices they make directly and indirectly affects the environment which they live, people also need to know and understand the role they can play individually, as a family, and as a community to help solve the problem of flooding and climate change.
I believe this and many more is what we can do to start confronting the flood challenge in Lokoja, within 6- 10 years we can achieve a lot, the flood level will keep increasing and as it increases it will take up lands permanently. We need to act now!
Abidemi Adebola
Team Lead Community Action Against Climate Change (CACC)
Founder African Reading Project
Minority Whip KGHA 2011-2015