Every year, over twelve of thirty - six states in our country, Nigeria experiences flooding and it's menace. In the year, 2000, unprecedented high water lever submerged most of these regions and render them homeless with other effects which brings more danger to our people.
One commentator described that year's flooding as anger expression from God and it's effect equalized everyone because our then president's palatial mansions and village were one of the places being submerged. Several kinds of dangerous aquatic animals crawled around the place and their bites can be harmful. Many people experienced their personal loss for example, farmers with large farmland cried woefully because of their crops were submerged.
Although such flood usually happened and many blessings comes from it. Every time, it happens, there will be more fish of different kinds and other aquatic resources were abundant. For instance, my friend brought a basket of dry fish and snail for us while coming back from their riverine village. But that year's flood was very huge and affected everyone badly. Let me share brief history of this flooding, causes and governmental efforts to control it.
Brief History of Flooding In Nigeria.
Nigeria is blessed with two mighty rivers, River Niger and River Benue. Their resources and presence benefits our nation in many ways. Electric power are harnessed, water for domestic and industrial uses, navigational purposes, agricultural uses etc are some of such blessings and benefits. But there's problems from these mighty friends to our people.
River Benue took its sources from the eastern highlands that bordered our nation with Cameroun, our friendly neighbor. Because of its velocity and volume, in the early 1970's, dams are proposed and will be funded by these two neighbors to control the strength and harness its power for many uses. After some years, Cameroonian government constructed their part of the dam while our nation's nonchalant attitude contribute to this flooding menace every year.
In their proposal, if our neighbor opened their dam to avoid overflow of the river banks in their region. Our nation will control their flow of the river systematically with our drainage patterns with dams. But, as we don't have such plans, whenever Cameroonian government opens their dam, our rivers experienced an incredible increase in volume and the surrounding areas which have been majorly inhabited with mansions and other land uses suffers its dangerous effects as explained above.
Causes of That Flooding in Nigeria.
As explained above, our neighbor's control measures of their dam affect our rivers badly. Remember that Mighty River Benue is a major tributary to River Niger dubbed the longest river in Africa and it's mightiness is the reason why our nation owned their name from it. These two rivers drains majestically across many states, regions and villages in our country before emptying at Atlantic Ocean. This fact means that whenever it overflows it's banks, flooding must happens in those regions and that of years 2000 is very huge and dangerous.
Building along these regions where these mighty rivers dances gracefully contribute to this flooding menace. Disobedience of the land use act and tenure systems are reasons for human habitation and other uses. Many people have these river banks as their ancestral home. For example, onitsha, atani and other riverine areas are banks of river Niger and home for millions of Nigerians. Their people aware of such flooding occurrence and know better ways of managing it without much effect. But whenever it's overflow is higher, there's more suffering and dangerous impacts.
Control Measures Of This Flooding Menace.
Although our national government have failed to fulfilled their part of plan of building their drainage patterns including dam to manage these water resources effectively. But, many agencies have been created and organized for monitoring and creating relief for such disastrous occurrence. Nimet is one of them that studies climatic effect and make control measures over any impending disasters have been active and helpful. For example, every year, they warn people especially those in the flood plans to avoid the dangers. Many people obeys their directives and save their lives.
Nigerian Hydrologic Agency is another wonderful national body with experts that manage our water bodies. One of their roles were data collection from these rivers and such studies helped in their formulation of directives which are very helpful to avoid flooding and it's menaces. Also, Orientation agencies and other volunteering organizations provides relief materials like cloth, drugs, accommodation and foods to the victims whenever it occurs.
Finally
Many people have been victims of this disastrous events. Personally, I have suffered from it too. But that 2000's flood was huge and it's dangerous effects still haunt many people till now. Governmental agencies are trying their best for warning directives and providing relief materials but more and advanced control means needed for better management and utilization of these resources effectively.
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I AM SORRY YOU HAVE TO SUFFER FROM DISASTER. DISASTER CAN DISTABILIZE SOMEONE. IT WILL BE NICE IF MEASURES CAN BE CREATE TO PREVENT DISASTERS FROM OCCURING