THE unprecedented flooding experienced in several states across the country has certainly presented horrendous situation of human carnage and property destruction that calls for more attention than presently being given. Even more alarming is the overwhelming damage resulting in food shortage and other humanitarian crises that the flood may throw up. These forebodings are easily gleaned by the horrific reports of the devastation occasioned by the incidents on several communities along the River Niger in the past two weeks. Millions of people have been sacked from their homes in what has turned out to be Nigeria's worst natural disaster in history, in a country which hardly records devastating natural calamities.The cost of the damage caused by the disaster is yet unknown, partly because casualty figures is still rising. Hectares of farmlands, homes, silos and animals worth billions of naira are being daily washed away in areas that constitute the food basket of the nation. It is logical to expect possible food shortage, epidemic outbreak and environmental destruction. The government should prepare for these with a view to minimising their unpleasant effects.Aerial view of the flooding shows submerged homes with only the roofs visible across the states bordering the river from Niger to Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Anambra, Edo and Delta. Farmlands, roads, bridges and other properties have been washed away. Some residents are reported trapped on treetops in Lokoja and in need of help. Women, children and the elderly were the worst hit. This development has worsened the existing poverty in the communities.The climax was the submerging of the ever-busy Lokoja-Abuja federal highway more than a week ago, thus forcing the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to close the highway, an action that caused thousands of travellers to be stranded in Lokoja. Inadvertently, Abuja, the nation's federal capital, was cut off from parts of southwest and southern states.The alternative routes present a long hectic trip through some of the worst roads in the country. The hasty directive given to Julius Berger and RCC construction companies by the Federal Government to restore the Abuja-Lokoja highway is unhelpful. It is part of the shoddy approach to governance in the country that yields no dividend. That highway ought to have been upgraded before now.Before the closure of the road, fleet of stranded vehicles in a desperate bid to cross the raging waters, waded dangerously through the flooded highway. Some vehicles were reportedly swept away by the floods. In all, there is a failure of emergency management on the part of FRSC and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), compounded by the fact that there is only one link road to Abuja from the western axis.Reports say over 104 people have so far lost their lives due to the floods. On Sunday, September 30, about 60 persons fleeing flooding in Benue and heading to Lokoja died when their boat capsized on the way. The victims included women and children.The flooding, which was caused by the conventional overflowing of the River Niger following weeks of torrential rainfall affected Lokoja more, probably because of its location at the confluence of the Rivers Niger and Benue. Earlier on, the River Benue had overflown its banks, flooding homes and large farmlands in Taraba, Benue and Kogi states, after Cameroon reportedly opened the Lagdo Dam on the upper reaches of the river.Clearly, a crisis management situation has caught both the federal and the affected state governments unaware. The floods could have been better managed if adequate preparations were made, since it was reportedly predicted by NEMA. This is a big lesson; that the country should prepare for such disasters in future.The response of the authorities to the disaster has been most disappointing. Whereas, President Jonathan jetted out of the country in its wake, both the FRSC and NEMA are overwhelmed by its magnitude. The states, on their part appeared helpless to tackle the ecological crisis encountered by the thousands of displaced people.Although, many of the victims are quartered in public places, there is acute shortage of water, food, medicine and toilet facilities. The danger of health epidemic is high as hundreds queue to use one make-shift toilet. There is need for urgent measures to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases.It is regrettable that the high magnitude of the River Niger flooding caught the country napping, even though the incident occurs yearly from September, peaking in November and receding in May. However, the high water level of the Kainji and Jebba dams and the subsequent flooding downstream could have been mitigated if appropriate measures, such as embankments had been put in place to stem the flood waters in the event of an overflow. Lokoja, the confluence town is particularly most vulnerable.Controlling flooding on the River Niger should be a strategic agenda of government. There should be an ecological master plan of vulnerable cities in the country, which should address flooding and erosion on regional basis, not excluding desertification. The ecological fund should be used for the environmental protection for which it is meant. Citizens ravaged by the floods should be assisted by government. The state governments affected should begin now to double efforts to mitigate the imminent collateral damage inflicted by the flooding.
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