Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Felix Obuah has warned against indiscriminate dumping of wastes into gutters and other water channels.
He said this would limit the blockage of water channels that causes massive flooding in the State.
Obuah made the call following the listing of the State by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) among the seven states that will witness heavy flooding in the coming weeks.
The RIWAMA boss said some residents and those doing business in the State have cultivated the habit of indiscriminate dumping of solid wastes and plastics into canals which also cause blockage of canals and leads to flooding, adding that the incidence of flooding was manifesting just as predicted by the NIHSA because people failed to heed the warnings issued by the Agency before the onset of flooding season in the country.
He called for collaborative efforts by residents across the 23 Local Government Areas so as to ensure that the State is not caught up by the impending flood disaster.
Obuah also charged people of Rivers State to ensure that their gutters and other water channels are regularly cleared of wastes, noting that the Agency had often warned residents and those doing business in the State to adhere to environmental rules by not throwing garbage into the gutters and other waterways, as these would impede the free flow of water.
“The flood disaster which devastated several parts of the State in 2012 is still very fresh in mind and should serve as a wake-up call for all residents and people doing business in the State to take appropriate steps to avoid a repeat of that experience”.
