Reps urge FG to implement national flood prevention measures

• Published On: 02 October 2024 at 17:43

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives urged the Federal Ministries of Water Resources and the Environment to direct the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency to implement flood-prevention measures across the country.

The House also urged the federal government, through the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, to begin desilting the country's major dams and rivers to prevent excessive flooding.

It should be noted that heavy flooding killed people and destroyed property in several states, including Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Zamfara, a few weeks ago. Since then, the federal and state governments, as well as concerned citizens, have led humanitarian efforts to alleviate the victims' plight.

The House's resolutions came after the adoption of a motion sponsored by Mohammed Shehu, a lawmaker representing Zaki Federal Constituency in Bauchi State.

Leading the debate, the lawmaker emphasised the importance of dredging Nigeria's major dams and rivers in reducing the devastating impact of floods on farmers and their crops.

He expressed concern that the government's failure to assist farmers in dealing with flooding issues has hampered the implementation of effective drainage strategies to control flooding.

He went on: "This negligence has also contributed to insufficient flood control measures, inadequate compensation for farmers' losses, and inefficient water resource management."

"The House is aware that developed countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa have made flood control through proper drainage systems a key objective of their administrations to safeguard the environment, improve food security, and ensure sustainability."

He went on to explain that proper dam and river dredging would encourage irrigation farming, resulting in increased food production for both domestic and export markets.

"This, in turn, would contribute significantly to economic development," the politician said.

He also expressed concern about the recurring annual floods, saying they "have destroyed farmers' efforts, resulting in losses worth billions of naira and posing significant risks due to government inaction."

He cited National Bureau of Statistics data, which showed that flooding destroyed more than N2.8 trillion in crops between 2018 and 2020.

"The House is concerned that 80% of Nigerian farmers have experienced significant crop losses, resulting in debt and an exodus from farming. Farmers who have borrowed money from financial institutions are finding it increasingly difficult to repay them due to flood-related losses," he said.

Following the motion's unanimous adoption, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas directed the House Committees on Water Resources, Environment, and Agricultural Production and Services to work with the Ministers of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Food Security to propose solutions to these issues and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.