Environment ministry proffers solutions to Far North floods

The Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, MINEPDED, has, in a report, proposed solutions to the devastating floods that have been plaguing the Far North Region.

The report captioned: “Strategic Environmental Audit of Floods in Zone under Hydro-Agricultural Management of Maga, Far North Region,” was made public in Yaounde on December 16.

Presenting the synopsis of the audit, the Minister, Pierre Hele, revisited some major periods when that region was hit spanning from 1994 to 2013.

He stated that natural causes of the floods included heavy rainfall and overflow of river banks, nature of relief, high table of underground water in some areas during the rainy season. On the other hand, man- made causes are linked to poor occupation of the land where people encroach into waterlogged areas, poor drainage system for rainwater, inefficient waste collection and poor behaviour of the population.

According to the Minister, the highest hit locality in the North Region for over the years is Maroua town that was under water in 1994, 1997, 2000, 2005 and 2006. Hele talked of visible destructions that included homes and infrastructure; pollution of fresh water sources; outbreak of water-borne diseases; loss of human and animal life as well as crops.

He stated that during the July 1994 floods, 35 people died through drowning, 50 households were destroyed rendering some 500 people homeless, 15 mansions pulled down, 40 sarres destroyed and 500 metres of fences damaged.

“During the floods of August 1997, seven deaths were registered, 46 households damaged with some 500 people becoming homeless; 30 mansions and 92 sarres destroyed,” he revealed.

Pierre Hele continued that in August 2000, still in Maroua, floods killed 13 people, destroyed 86 households rendering 600 people homeless, 120 houses thus 30 mansions were destroyed with three companies notably NOTACAM, SODECOTON and SIPHRAMA affected. He stated further that in July and August 2005, floods drowned 14 people while a cholera outbreak led to 411 victims with a death toll of 58.

As many as 512 farmers lost their crops, 72 houses crumbled; two mosques and 870 metres long of fences destroyed with NOTACAM losing 36,000 hides and skins, while some 900 hectares of crops were destroyed, amongst other damages. In the floods of August 2006, Hele added, two people died and about 150 others were rendered homeless, 15 mud houses and three mansions were completely destroyed while 68 belts of cotton fibre were damaged.

According to the MINEPDED boss, the floods of 2007 hit Yagoua, Mokolo and Kolofata. Visible effects in Yagoua, according to the Minister, included destruction of sarres, plantations and crops, damaged road network leading to inaccessibility of Maga town for several days, thereby stifling economic activities. Similar destruction was recorded in Mokolo with six people declared missing and cattle swept away by floods while in Kolofata 1,405 sarres were destroyed, 713 families affected, 251 hectares of crops destroyed; 121 small ruminants and 167 fowls lost.

Hele maintained that in the 2012 floods, Maga town was hardest hit when the Maga dam overflew it banks. Coupled with the destruction of the Maga dyke and pasture, 120,000 people were directly affected, 20,000 others displaced, FCFA 2 billion of rice and cotton production lost.

In 2013, in the same locality, 800 people were rendered homeless with 126 families affected as a result of floods.

He outlined a plethora of attenuation and remedial measures taken by the State with support from friendly countries and international organisations amounting to huge sums of money aimed at reducing the pain caused by the floods.

While proffering solutions to stem floods and its negative effects in the Region, the Minister talked of sensitisation and education of the population; construction of dykes; setting up of seeds bank; restoring damaged infrastructure; giving social assistance to the victims; providing subvention, financial and material support to the affected Councils; treatment of water and distribution of treated mosquito nets; as some of the solutions of the problems caused by floods disaster.

The 60-page strategic environmental audit report conducted by the H&B Consulting has touched all sectors of activity in the floods-stricken areas, notably; cultivation, fishing, rearing, tourism, forest, wildlife, protected zones/national parks, among others.