The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has called on residents of the North-East region of the country to take proactive measures that would help them mitigate the impact of flooding in their communities.

The call comes as Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu on May 6 warned that no fewer than 28 states risk severe flooding this year.

The North-East zonal director of NESREA, Charles Sharah, who made the call on Tuesday in Gombe, said the issue of flooding is not new as it had become a yearly occurrence, hence the need for collective effort aimed at minimising the impact and to safeguard the environment and prevent loss of lives.

He stated that though flooding could occur naturally due to high volume of water, human activities could also contribute to flooding and that “this can be prevented to ensure that our environment is not polluted.”

Mr Sharah said that many residents often ignore warnings and their responsibilities toward protecting the environment only to complain of flooding when it occurs.

He added that the devastating impact of flooding had made residents to avoid activities that could contribute to the menace such as dumping wastes in gullies, building on waterways and indiscriminate sand dredging.

“It is part of our mandate to give advice to residents as well as create awareness on issues relating to the environment. This is why we are calling on residents not to live or build in flood-prone areas,” he advised.

According to him, it is better to be proactive on issues that concern the environment by ensuring that water channels are not blocked.

He said that the issue of ignorance on what is expected of residents should no longer be taken as an excuse in view of the yearly sensitisation and flood alerts from relevant stakeholders.

Mr Sharah said that deliberate ignorance of warnings on the effect of flooding when it occurs would not be tolerated due to its damage to the agricultural sector and the economy.

Some of the states likely to experience severe flooding this year include Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba, according to the minister.

(NAN)