Mr Babarinde Mukaila, the environment expert, stated that the dredging of River Niger alone would not address the problem of flooding in Nigeria, reports leadership.ng.
Nigeria required a holistic approach if it was to prevent persistent flooding and added that the dredging of the major rivers in the country would only help reduce the impact of flooding, said Mr Mukaila.
“ This is issue of sedimentation in the reservoirs; but remember that when the sediments are removed through dredging, after about two, three or five years, the reservoir fills back to its capacity. So, if the water resources management – the inflow and outflow systems within the reservoirs are not properly managed, it could still lead to flooding over time. Sedimentation is just one of the components. Sedimentation and river training are one of the components or the causes of flooding. Other factors are there, just like if there is excessive rainfall due to climate change except you are going to predicate accurately when the rain is coming,” he stated.
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Dredging Today Staff, November 16, 2012