Some residents of Abuja and its environs have expressed fear over the looming flood as a result of poor environmental and sanitation practices.
The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said rainy season has been a difficult period for them as floods always submerge their belongings.
Mr Jacob Idris, a resident of Nyanya, said they have been battling with flood every rainy season even after clearing the drainage around them.
He said until the bridge and the road are reconstructed and a bigger ring is fixed; they may not get out of the problem.
‘’We don’t have the financial strength to construct a bigger bridge and a better road, that’s why we are appealing to the government to come to our aid.
‘’We have lost millions of naira worth of goods and property to flood in this area and we are afraid that if nothing is done this year, property or even lives may be lost to flood.
‘’We have started seeing signs that it will rain heavily this year, since the first rain had caused serious flooding,’’ he said.
Mrs Amaka Ukachukwu, a resident of Mararaba, Nasarawa State, said to prevent a recurrence of flood this year, the public needed to be sensitised to desist from dumping refuse on water channels.
‘’We need to sensitise residents on the danger of dumping refuse on waterways and major channels.
‘’Now that the rains are coming, we appeal to the government to be prepared and assist us on time.
‘’Some of us are poor; we should be relocated to camps as usual, so we are calling for early preparation in case of such occurrences,’’ she said.
Mr Abdullahi Sanwo, a resident of Ado, Nasarawa State, appealed to residents to avoid blocking waterways with refuse.
He said a simple environment-friendly rule of cleaning the waterways should be adhered to.
‘’We do not want to witness flooding this year in our community; we are educating our people on the need to keep the drainage free of refuse.
“Aside that, we use the media houses to educate the public to clear their drainage and to cut the weeds on the waterways,’’ he said.
Mrs Josephine Paul, a resident of Mpape, a suburb of Abuja, said a committee has been constituted in her area to monitor residents to ensure proper disposal of waste .
Paul said waste bins have been provided by the government, so residents are being monitored to ensure their proper use. (NAN)
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