The Rivers State House of Assembly will take urgent legislative steps, as well as engage the state executive arm, in the bid to address the recurring issue of flooding.
This was as floods in parts of the Port Harcourt metropolis on October 11, 2025, following days of heavy downpour, wreaked havoc on residents, sweeping two teenagers to their death.
Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, on October 13, 2025, during a visit to the family of Oyechi Peter, whose 16-year-old son and 17-year-old brother drowned during Friday’s heavy downpour in Eligbolo community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, assured of the Assembly’s commitment to improving environmental laws in the state.
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He said, “We will do the needful from the legislature, and we will convey them to the executive, and we will follow up.â€
Amaewhule pointed out that the problem of flooding “is not peculiar to Eligolo. It’s a general problem. The issue of flood water is a general problem across the state.
“Within Port Harcourt metropolis, it’s quite challenging. Drains are blocked. The canals need to be cleared, and there needs to be proper desilting of canals and other channels, so that water can cross to the rivers around us, up to the Atlantic Ocean.
“So there needs to be a conscious effort, a deliberate effort to address this matter frontally, and I think that is the best way to go.
“And we will do what is necessary to draw the attention of the Rivers State government to this challenge, not only to Eligbolo Town, but the entire state,†he said.
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Amaewhule not that there is urgent need to embark on clearing of canals to allow for free flow of stormwater.
“There’s need for the Rivers State government to look into the issue of clearing our canals, making them properly able to contain the flood water around the state.
“I have seen for myself this situation. I want to assure you that I will do the needful,†he said, while urging residents to avoid living in flood-prone areas.
Mbe Daniel Mbe, director of the Center for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies at the University of Port Harcourt, has called for strident efforts to reduce the impact of flooding and other disasters.
Mbe, who was speaking at an event to mark the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, said getting young people involved in disaster response and mitigation will help build a safer and more sustainable future.
He pointed out that “when disasters strike, there is physical and human capital loss. There is also displacement of families and loss of human lives.â€
