Hello!👋
I currently reside in the deep southern part of Nigeria, where the talk of flooding is a regular thing. Currently, refuge centres have been implemented in different parts of the cities and communities that flood doesn't often affect—except when it happens at an excessive level. I remember talking with a friend two days ago, and when I got to know her home village, which is located deep within the interior, she said that whenever it's the rainy season, everyone in the village vacates and only returns when the season is over. This is because the village is surrounded by water, and the excess rainfall increases the volume of water in the rivers, causing them to overflow—and that’s how the flood takes over the place.
Currently, my city, which doesn’t usually get hit by floods except when the frequency is very high, is now being populated by people from those villages who have left their homes to allow the flood to do its thing. Refuge centres have been implemented by the Local Government to help cater to them when the flood becomes unmanageable, although it hasn’t reached that level yet, as the rain is just beginning.
I feel deeply for these victims because I haven’t experienced this kind of displacement where I have to pack out of my house with all my belongings. Omo!
It’s so unfortunate that flooding is a natural disaster and can’t be completely controlled, but since it happens every year, I believe there’s a means to manage it—especially when excessive rainfall is the cause. That’s one thing that has been on my mind to do—to help the people. I’m not just after creating refuge camps, which are actually good—no doubt about that—but I’m more interested in creating a permanent solution.
The approaches that need to be used sincerely require major funding because it involves construction works in the affected communities. But before that, awareness needs to be created among the people because I found out that most of these affected communities already have drainage systems which are supposed to help control floodwater—at least to an extent—by directing it to places where it won’t pose any challenges. However, there’s always an “I don’t care” attitude toward these facilities. People need to clear these drainages and keep them free to channel water to far distances. In my city, we have such facilities, and they help a lot in directing rainwater whenever there’s excessive rainfall.
So, there's a need for regular sensitisation of the people to enable them to contribute to the solution. Even when there’s severe flooding, if the drainage systems are functioning well, the damage won’t be as bad as it usually is.
To rectify the situation in a more permanent way, such as constructing dams to hold back the water bodies when they become excessive, is definitely going to cost a lot. But if I had the money, I would gladly become a philanthropist and help tackle the situation permanently, rather than following the government’s path, where all they do is welcome the flood season by creating numerous refuge centres. This bothers me a lot because the money spent on these refuge efforts every year could be redirected into funding permanent solutions that would eliminate the recurring disturbance of flooding in this area.
Thanks for reading.
This is my response to Hivenaija Anniversary Contest
Images used are mine
