Health
NEMA blames poor waste disposal for Cross River flooding
By Emem Julius
The National Emergency Management Agency has attributed the recurring flooding in Cross River State to poor environmental practices and urged residents to stop dumping refuse into drains and waterways to prevent future disasters.
The agency gave the warning on Friday during an assessment of communities affected by Thursday’s flood in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South Local Government Areas.
The downpour, which lasted several hours on July 9, left many communities submerged, stranded residents, and reportedly claimed two lives, while others sustained injuries and were hospitalised.
Leading the assessment team, the Head of Operations of NEMA’s Uyo Operations Office, Mrs Aisueni Mmandu, urged residents to take greater responsibility for protecting their environment.
“You must know that you are your environment. For the affected communities, you must adopt responsible environmental practices to reduce recurring flooding and prevent avoidable loss of lives and property,” she said.
Mmandu noted that indiscriminate disposal of refuse, particularly plastics and other non-biodegradable materials, had continued to block drainage channels and worsen flooding across vulnerable communities.
She urged residents to use designated waste disposal points, warning that blocked drains significantly increase the risk of flooding during heavy rainfall.
“Indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and waterways remains a major cause of blocked channels and worsening flood incidents across affected communities,” she added.
The NEMA official described the recent flooding as largely preventable if residents embraced safer environmental practices.
“Flood is avoidable if we adhere to safer environmental practices. NEMA will provide flood preparedness jingles and awareness materials for translation into local languages to expand public education across communities,” she said.
She disclosed that the agency would intensify flood awareness campaigns across all 18 local government areas of the state through community sensitisation programmes and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
“NEMA will surely intensify efforts in flood sensitization across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state. Most importantly, we must refrain from dumping of refuse into drainage,” Mmandu stated.
She also proposed the creation of a multi-agency WhatsApp platform involving relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to improve information sharing and ensure faster coordination during emergencies.
Mmandu further called on the Cross River State Ministry of Environment and the National Orientation Agency to deepen flood awareness campaigns through local government councils and community meetings.
The Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Efa Nyong, assured affected residents that support would be provided after the completion of damage assessments.
Nyong said both the Federal Government, through NEMA, and the Cross River State Government were committed to assisting victims of the disaster.
Also speaking, the Director of Flood and Erosion Control in the Cross River Ministry of Environment, Mr James Ekabua, said many of the affected communities were located on natural flood plains, making them highly susceptible to flooding despite engineering interventions.
He added that rapid urban development, blocked drainage channels and other human activities had further increased flood risks, noting that professional assessments would guide the government’s next steps.
One of the affected residents, Mrs Josephine Okon of Big Qua Community, said flooding had plagued the area for more than five years, causing repeated destruction of homes and property.
According to her, the latest flood occurred at about 2.30 a.m. on Thursday, catching many residents unaware.
“When we came out, we saw that some buildings and fences had collapsed; it was terrible, especially because it happened at night,” she said.
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