The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, has urged relevant stakeholders to take proactive measures to address the issue of flooding and prevent the loss of lives and property.
Mr Nathaniel Atebije, the President of the institute, stated this during its 6th annual conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the conference is t “What shall we say: gains or pains of democracy”.
He said that the Federal Capital Territory and other areas are back to another regime of flooding due to poor drainage systems among others.
“The flooding which ensued yesterday as a result of the downpour was speculated to have drowned some lives in a popular residential estate in Abuja.
“Poor drainage systems have made the location flood-prone and vulnerable during the rainy season,”he said.
Atebije said that actions designed to solve the problem are being impeded by court orders at the expense of human lives.
“What value do we place on human lives as a nation? Can the value of that whole estate be equated to the lives lost?
“We hereby call on Judges to consider the safety of human lives when granting orders to retain inconsistent developments.
“This is an indicator of the need for continuous engagement with the various stakeholders in human settlements development.
“For Judges, and anyone for that matter, to make decisions that are favorable to environmental sustainability, they must be enlightened about physical planning and human settlements development.
“We particularly emphasise that the Federal Capital Territory and other affected areas need to take decisive measures on disaster preparedness and management,”he said.
Atebije called on the government to put aside the relative success of its first year in office, to see the pains and agony of its population.
“We must empathise with the tears running down the cheeks of Nigerians and focus on the years ahead.
“This will bring a lot of gains, diminish a lot of pains, and then we can truly look forward to handing unto our children a banner without stain,”he said.(NAN
