Reps Urge FG To Expedite Action On Prevention Of Flood Disasters

    Image Credit - Robin Ramons

The House of Representatives is begging the Federal Government to speed up effort on the prevention of flood disasters in Nigeria, work out a deal to provide relief to flood victims, monitor the management and prevention of flooding, and educate Nigerians on ways to prevent flooding.

Following a motion by Honourable Sekav Iyortyom, the House on Thursday recognised that the flooding in the country was attributed to heavy rain and the impact of climate change which deserve urgent, proper planning and proactive actions to prevent damages. The lawmakers are concerned that the prevalence of floods in Nigeria requires urgent attention as delays could result in the destruction of houses and farms, food shortages, and a humanitarian crisis.

The House is also mandating its Committee on Water Resources to investigate the release of the N19.2 billion allocated for the devastating impact of flooding on farmlands across the nation. In the last couple of years, flooding has destroyed homes, and farmlands and killed many in several parts of the country.

In addition to aggravating food insecurity — farmland and crops were devastated — the deadly floods have caused an outbreak of cholera, according to the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC). In 2012, particularly deadly floods ravaged Nigeria.