By Zainab Bakare
The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has blamed recurring flooding in Cross River State on poor environmental practices, urging residents to stop dumping refuse into drains and waterways.
The agency gave the warning on Friday during an assessment of communities affected by Thursday’s flood in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South Local Government Areas.
The heavy rainfall, which lasted several hours on July 9, submerged several communities, stranded residents, left many injured and reportedly claimed two lives.
Leading the assessment team, Head of Operations at NEMA’s Uyo Operations Office, Mrs Aisueni Mmandu, urged residents to take responsibility for protecting their environment.
She said, “You must know that you are your environment. For the affected communities, you must adopt responsible environmental practices to reduce recurring flooding and prevent avoidable loss of lives and property.”
Mmandu identified indiscriminate dumping of plastics and other waste materials into drainage channels as a major cause of blocked waterways and worsening flood incidents.
She added, “Indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and waterways remains a major cause of blocked channels and worsening flood incidents across affected communities.”
The NEMA official described the flooding as largely preventable, saying the agency would intensify awareness campaigns across the state’s 18 local government areas.
She said, “Flood is avoidable if we adhere to safer environmental practices. NEMA will provide flood preparedness jingles and awareness materials for translation into local languages to expand public education across communities.”
The Cross River State Emergency Management Agency assured affected residents of support after completing damage assessments, while officials of the state Ministry of Environment blamed blocked drainage channels, rapid urban development and settlements on flood plains for increasing flood risks.
A resident of Big Qua Community, Mrs Josephine Okon, said flooding had affected the area for more than five years, causing repeated damage to homes and property.
She said, “When we came out, we saw that some buildings and fences had collapsed; it was terrible, especially because it happened at night.”
