A water resources management expert, Michael Ale, has called for a stronger institutional framework to address recurring flooding in Ekiti State, including the enactment of an urban planning enforcement law.
Ale, who is the Coordinator of the Global Development Initiative, attributed the persistent flooding in the state to the absence of effective institutions capable of enforcing regulations and sanctioning offenders.
He urged the Ekiti State House of Assembly to enact a Flood Resilience and Urban Planning Enforcement Law to strengthen flood prevention and ensure compliance with environmental and urban planning regulations.
The call followed flooding recorded in parts of the state, particularly Ado Ekiti, the state capital, last week, which reportedly resulted in loss of lives and property as well as disruption of socio-economic activities.
Ale, in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, said the state urgently needed a strong institutional framework to address the recurring challenge.
“There is a need for Ekiti State to urgently create a strong institutional framework that will combat the perennial incident of flooding in the state,” he said.
The expert noted that flooding in Ado Ekiti was predictable because weather forecasts, river channels and major causes of flooding were known.
“Flooding in Ado Ekiti is predictable. NIMET predicts it. The rivers are known, the causes are known – building on waterways, blocked drains, no dredging before rainy season, refuse in canals,” Ale said.
“If it is predictable and preventable, why does it happen yearly? It is because we have no institutional framework that enforces consequences,” he added.
Ale also advocated the establishment of a waste management institution empowered to sanction indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels, as well as an emergency management institution with a functional early warning system.
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He said the state’s 30-year Development Plan already identified flood control, sustainable urbanisation and environmental resilience as key pillars, but questioned the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
“Ekiti State has a 30-year Development Plan. It clearly states flood control, sustainable urbanisation and environmental resilience as pillars. But where is the Monitoring and Evaluation?” he asked.
Ale called on the state government to adhere to the development plan and ensure that urban expansion did not disrupt natural channels designed to protect communities from flooding.
He specifically urged the House of Assembly to pass legislation that would make annual dredging of the Ureje and Elemi rivers mandatory before March, establish 50-metre no-build buffer zones and criminalise construction without drainage clearance.
“The Ekiti State House of Assembly should pass a Flood Resilience and Urban Planning Enforcement Law that makes annual dredging of Ureje and Elemi mandatory before March, creates 50-meter no-build buffer zones, and criminalises building without drainage clearance,” he said.
The expert further called for the establishment of a committee of experts to develop a comprehensive solution to the state’s flooding challenge.
He cited the response to flooding in Ibadan, Oyo State, as an example Ekiti could learn from, noting that the Oyo State Government sought World Bank assistance after experiencing severe flooding.
“Ekiti State can do the same. Let us ask for meaningful intervention,” Ale said.
Ale also advised residents to avoid attempting to cross or move through floodwaters during heavy rainfall because of the risk of drowning and other hazards.
“When it is flooded, we should be patient for the water to recede before we move in it,” he advised.