Deputy Governor of
Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboriobiogha John Jonah (rtd), has called for synergy between federal and states agencies concerned with flood management to work as a team if its menace is to be defeated.
Admiral Jonah who was addressing participants at a one day workshop with the theme “Flood Preparation and Effective Management” organised by the state’s Post Flood Management Committee in conjunction with the Flood Research Group of the Federal University,Otuoke,Bayelsa State at the Banquet Hall, Yenagoa, stressed that the issue of flooding was a global phenomenon.
According to him, because of the effects of flood in the state last year, the state government decided to set up the flood management committee, saying that about 70 per cent of the state was covered by water , that the state was lucky to have large stretch of coast lines which, he, however, said came comes with challenges.
“There is need for effective disaster management in the country.We need effective disaster management in the country.We need to explain all the theories of flood management for the ordinary people to understand.There is need to take proactive steps in tackling emergencies .We don’t need to wait for emergencies before we act.”, he said
Chairman of Bayelsa State Post-Flood Management Committee,Chief Francis Doukpola in his speech lamented that the state was worst hit by last year’s flood disaster as 80 percent of it was covered by the disaster.
Doukpola described the state as the receptacle of the nation’s water flow system,noting that every community in the area was either located by a river,creek,canal or ocean.
Doukpola said the coastal terrain of the state made it vulnerable to the impact of flood,erosion and land slide.
As part of this year’s flood mitigation , Doukpola said the committee had embarked on the building of earth dams and dykes in the communities ,as well as the opening of natural dykes and drainage systems in Yenagoa metropolis.
He went on,”the scourge of last year’s devastating flood still remains fresh in our memories.There are signs that the flood may come again ,the water level in the flood prone communities has started rising.The 2012 flood was indeed a natural disaster .The magnitude of such flood requires a comprehensive and strategic action plan as we must go far beyond emergency response measures ,given the reality of the anticipated flood of this year.”
According to him. his committee had distributed over 120,000 bags of cement to the flood affected communities in the state to enable them rebuild their damaged mud houses.
The chairman said the Governor had earmarked N500 million for the preparation of flood camp sites in identified high grounds in the communities.
