An
Environmentalist, Mr. Abdulhamid Elesinla, on Saturday warned against indiscriminate dumping of refuse and felling of trees, to guard against flooding in the state.
Elesinla, an environmentalist with the Ilorin South Local Government Council, gave the advice while addressing newsmen in Ilorin.
He attributed the flash flooding currently devastating some communities in the state to excessive water flow.
The environmentalist blamed human activities such as dumping of refuse in gutters and under the bridges, thus resulting in blocked channels and the prevention of free water flow.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bridge over Asa River in Oko-Erin in the state, collapsed on June 13, throwing a vehicle and five passengers into the flood waters below.
It was reported that two persons survived the accident while three others were still missing.
According to him, flash floods that devastate lives and property can also occur as result of improper layout during construction of buildings.
“Buildings don’t have set back and people erect walls instead of gutters, to make way for free flow of water,” he said.
The environmentalist observed that some of these bridges were old and required maintenance and expansion.
According to the environmentalist, when there is excessive water, the bridges can collapse and cause untold hardship.
Elesinla described deforestation as a major factor causing flooding, as trees prevent sediment runoffs and forests hold more water than farms or grasslands.
According to him, a single tree can actually help in reducing the effects of flooding, as some rainwater stays on the leaves and evaporates into the atmosphere.
Elesinla noted that leaves on trees could reduce the impact of raindrops on the soil, which causes less soil erosion, while the roots absorb water from the soil, making the soil drier to absorb more rainwater.
He advised people in the communities and the country as a whole to embrace afforestation and tree planting to prevent flooding on a large scale. (Realnews/NAN)
