When Floods Attack

By Kayode Komolafe

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

“Bayelsa is under attack.” That has been the battle cry of Governor Douye Diri,  whose state is virtually submerged. Diri’s Bayelsa State is one of the 33 states  of Nigeria which have experienced  flood disasters in recent weeks.  Horrific pictures of the situation in Bayelsa State have gone viral in the cyberspace. Corpses have been reportedly exhumed from submerged cemeteries in the state while Governor Diri declared a week break for workers because of the disruption of movement caused by the floods. The Otuoke  home of former President Goodluck Jonathan is  flooded.
Apart from Bayelsa, stories of calamity have also been reported from Kogi, Taraba,  Benue, Imo, Delta, Rivers, Jigawa, Lagos, Anambra, Oyo, Abia etc.  
With over 600 lives lost,  more than 2, 700 persons  injured, 1.4 million displaced, 123, 000 houses destroyed and over 390 hectares of farmlands devastated, it might not be hyperbolic to say that  the country is indeed under attack by floods. This is not a military attack; it’s an ecological destruction caused by a noxious combination of natural and human  factors.  What with the predictions of more floods in the remaining months of the year, the real and present danger  are manifest on the ecological horizon.
Natural disasters such as floods do not respect jurisdictions or geo-political boundaries. And you  may say that no one is to  blame for it. However, governments at all levels should take responsibility for the lack or failure of environmental  policies  to tackle the problems head- on.
Some state governments have alleged inadequate federal response to what is undoubtedly a national emergency given the  magnitude of the disasters.
In the process,  questions have been legitimately raised  about the disbursement of ecological funds. In fact, a non-governmental organisation, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened legal action to compel the federal government to probe the spending of ecological funds by all tiers of government since 2001.  Established by an Act in 1981 during the administration of President Shehu Shagari, the Ecological Fund is meant to be a special financial intervention to solve myriad ecological problems by governments at all levels. The Fund represents 3% of the resources available to the Federal Account  which are shared  to  the three tiers of government. The funds are, therefore, expected to be used to address local ecological peculiarities. For instance, with the funds states in the far north are expected to, among other things,  tackle desertification while those in the south east ought to devote the money to solve the menace of erosion in the zone. Only yesterday, the highly important Onitsha-Owerri  Road reportedly  caved in as a result of erosion   with all the ominous implications for inter-state movement in the zone. The coastal communities should be fortified against being washed away by  ocean surge with the money.
While the controversy on what  happened to the  ecological fund rages, victims of flood disasters  in the various communities need urgent relief in the face of hunger, dehydration and disease. The people  who are displaced deserve urgent reliefs while the damage done to the environment  ought to be quickly mitigated.
Their situation should never be  considered hopeless in some quarters. That is  why governments exist at all levels. It was, therefore, a relief of sorts yesterday when Minister of  Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development  Sadiya  Umar Farouq confirmed that relief materials had been delivered to 21 states. The minister spoke on the response of her ministry and that of that National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to the flood disasters  in many parts of the country.  Farouq also reported the activities of the Search and Rescue Team which has carried out operations in 199 Local Government Areas  of 25 states. The activities of the  Search and Rescue Team in  disasters areas include evacuating endangered residents to safety and ensuring referrals  to hospitals. According to her, food, materials to make  temporary shelters, first-aid  and other items and services  have been delivered to support victims in the following states: Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Enugu, FCT, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe states.
It’s significant that the minister also acknowledged  the collaboration of local communities with the federal agencies. She put it as follows: “I commend local communities for their resilience. We received a report that in 144 LGAs, local communities worked together to provide the first response to their families and neighbors.” This trying moment in  the affected communities calls for a greater cooperation  among tiers of governments, ministries and agencies in order to achieve the public purpose:  safety and relief of people under the direct attacks of floods.
In this respect, state and local governments should heed the minister’s  call to play their respective roles in the execution of the National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan.
However, it is unacceptable that in a moment of national emergency in which some states are virtually under  water, federal government officials have not visited the affected states  to demonstrate solidarity. The symbolism of such  acts of empathy could be profound for the psychology of the  victims.  The emotional resonance of the President or a high-powered delegation representing him in Bayelsa State House would be felt in even communities cut off from other areas by the flood water. A period of emergency is not a time for a leisurely response from those who have the  constitutional responsibility for the security and  welfare of the people. Hajia Fraouq announced belatedly yesterday that a federal government delegation  would visit some of the affected states next week. Such visits ought to have happened in   Kogi, Benue, Jigawa, Taraba and other states some days ago.
Well, it’s better late than never, as they say.  
The implications of flooding  for food security and public health should further a compel a synergy of purpose among  the three tiers of government.  This is another policy challenge. Flood disasters  should not  cause other disasters – famine, epidemics and massive displacement of persons.  The handling of the emergency so far shows that the socio-economic dimensions of floods  ought to be properly  examined in formulating policies in response to the problem. Preventing the ecological disaster  from turning into a humanitarian catastrophe is a task for governments at all levels, private organisations,  public-spirited  individuals and friends of Nigeria. A lot of resources would be needed to give succour to thousands of the physically injured and the socially dislocated.  
In addition, as the humanitarian affairs minister said, other ministries and agencies are expected to brief the public on the federal government’s   response to this national emergency. These ministries include those of  environment, water resources, health, agriculture and housing  works and housing.
In particular, the ministry of environment ought to be conspicuous in the response to what is essentially an ecological crisis.
To start with, floods have been globally acknowledged as a consequence of climate change. The ministry should be more active  in the mobilisation of people to the reality of climate change. Yes, climate change is a global problem; but every nation tackles the problem with its own policy options. This year’s disaster in which hundreds of lives have been lost is another poignant reminder that the formulated policies should be duly implemented  and ideas should be harvested for the  formulation of fresh programmes  in view of the dynamics of climate change.
The first thing to do is to listen to the science  of climate change. The federal ministry of environment should take the lead in developing the national culture of approaching climate change on a scientific basis.  This is basic for preparing the people for ecological emergencies such as flood disasters. Scientists have explained that climate change could manifest in different ways. These include changes in rainfall patterns, variations in sea levels,  rise in global temperatures and melting of the ice sheets. The factors responsible for the climate disorder  are also matters of global debates among scientists. What is important for a country such as Nigeria is not to be left behind in the race to get  prepared  for what is to come in the ecological realm. This is  because  the mere  fact that  the underdeveloped parts of the world are not  major contributors to climate change is no  excuse to be complacent in solving th problem. As the flooding of the poor Nigerian communities have shown, nature doesn’t excuse those who contribute little or nothing  to  climate change  from the environmental repercussions.
The coordination of efforts at public education on this global phenomenon is the duty of the environment ministry.
For instance, Nigeria should provide a leading voice in Africa in the campaign  for the compensation to poor countries who have contributed little or nothing  to the climate change but which now suffer from it  like the industrialised world.
That is why the science of the environmental problem should be considered  along with its politics and economics. Indeed, the various dimension of the problems are inseparable.
It is important to stress that  politics should not becloud  the humanitarian consequences  of the floods
Flooding of 33 states this year should be a sufficient warning that governments at levels should invest more in flood defence. Flood-prone areas should be prepared to be more resilient in the face of emergency. Temporary shelters with  basic needs  should be provided for those who  would need to be evacuated from low-lying areas.
There are  global predictions that more flooding will occur in the immediate future. This year’s flooding should, therefore, be  taken as a sufficient  warning that flood-prone areas should be fortified to prevent worse disasters in the future.