Senate orders probe of plans for 2013 flooding
- Africcon News
Africcon Report: Senate orders probe of plans for 2013 flooding
Africcon New Media – News
From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
The Senate has mandated its committees on Environment and Ecology; Special Duties; Water Resources and Marine Transport to commence an investigation into the preparedness of the relevant government agencies for the predicted flooding this year.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had predicted heavy rains for 2013 and warned about severe flooding in the year.
After considering a motion brought by Senator Ita Enang, to call attention to the envisaged flood disaster, the Senate adopted a single prayer to “mandate her committees on Water Resources, Environment, Marine Transport and Special Duties to as a matter of urgency ascertain the state of preparedness of the Federal and state governments, their ministries of water resources, Environment and Health, National Inland Waterways Authority and the National Emergency Management Agency to contain the predicted flooding and excess rainfall and report on the continuing basis to the Senate within two weeks.”
Enang, in the motion, which was co-sponsored by 69 other senators, noted that there was an urgent need to dredge the coastlines of major rivers and oceans within the country’s inland territories where sand has accumulated in order to further reduce the impact of the restriction of water channels on seasonal flooding.
He said whereas the rainfall and flooding prediction said there would be excess rain this year in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Abia and Ebonyi states with attendant effect, the resultant water would not have enough channel to flow through the Atlantic Ocean which would then result in flooding of farmlands and residential houses thus constituting danger to human and marine life.
