Rivers farmers urge early sensitisation to tackle flood in 2013

Some farmers in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital, have called for early sensitisation of the people on the flood predictions by the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET).

The farmers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, said that early campaign would avert the recurrence of the 2012 flood that ravaged most parts of the country.

One of the farmers, Kelvin Ezenwa, urged the government to be proactive in strategising to manage the predicted flood in 2013.

He said that rigorous campaign, especially in the rural areas, was necessary because of the large number of farmers residing in the area.

Ezenwa decried the damage caused to farm lands in 2012, saying that the effect would have been minimal if the farmers had been sensitised.

“The government needs to take awareness activities to markets, schools, churches, public places and to farmers in the rural community.

“Tell our people what to do to tackle flood; the people need to know the signs and accurate measures to overcome the menace of flooding,” he said.

Another farmer, Ibinabo Tamuno, noted that the people living in the coastal towns were still ignorant of what to do during flood emergencies.

“Our region is prone to flooding, which we already know, due to the waterways.

“We don’t dump refuse on the waterways because there are bushes where we scatter the refuse for compost manure.

“What we really need is tell us how to save ourselves, if the weather becomes strongly windy that it can carry the roof of our houses, or if the flood builds up in magnitude, what we will do to save ourselves.

“This is because many a time, the natural disasters become dangerous that it claims lives, both old and young”, Tamuno said.

Grace Odinaka, a farmer and also a trader, said that government should try to reach the grassroots through their community leaders who would sensitise their wards in a way they would understand.

Odinaka condemned the use of only radio and television to enlighten the people at the grassroots, saying that they might not understand anything.