For many residents of Rivers State, flooding has slowly become a sad and predictable part of life. Every rainy season, streets overflow, homes are submerged, and businesses shut down as water levels rise uncontrollably. In parts of Port Harcourt, a single day of heavy rain is enough to trap commuters indoors for hours. Although the situation has persisted for decades, experts insist that the problem is not beyond repair but only if the government embraces long-term planning instead of short-term fixes.
A town planning expert, Njokwu Sopuruchi, believes that proper urban planning remains the most sustainable and lasting solution to the state’s flooding crisis. Sopuruchi, a former spokesperson of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) in Rivers State, told our reporter that many neighborhoods across the state grew without any guiding development plan — a foundational mistake that now carries heavy consequences.
He explained that some of the most affected areas have drainage channels that were either poorly designed or never created at all.
“We need to plan new or re-imagine existing neighborhoods,” Sopuruchi said. “Before any building is erected, there must be clear provisions for drainage lines, power supply routes, accessible roads, public facilities, and utilities. Many of the neighborhoods we have in Port Harcourt today, outside D/Line and Old GRA, had no proper foundation in terms of planning. That is why the flooding persists.”
He stressed that while the problem appears overwhelming, it is not impossible to correct. According to him, the government can adopt urban renewal programmes that redesign old communities, introduce new drainage networks, reorganize building layouts, and restore natural water channels that have long been blocked.
“Urban renewal may sound expensive, but it is far cheaper than repeatedly repairing roads washed away by flood or compensating citizens after avoidable disasters,” he said. “If we truly want a flood-free Port Harcourt, we must go back to the drawing board.”
Sopuruchi also commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for appointing a town planner as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Town Planning, a decision he described as “encouraging and long overdue.” However, he added that the ministry needs more professionals across different planning fields, including drainage engineers, environmental consultants, development control officers, and land surveyors.
“Town planning requires teamwork,” he said. “It cannot be handled by just a few people. We need more hands, more technical experts, and more enforcement.”
Environmental engineer Mrs. Helen Ogolo offered a complementary perspective. While she acknowledged the structural gaps created by poor planning, she emphasized that everyday human behavior plays a crucial role in the severity of flooding. According to her, even the strongest drainage systems can collapse under the weight of improper waste disposal.
“People often blame the rain, but rainfall alone doesn’t cause this level of flooding,” Mrs. Ogolo explained. “Blocked drains, refuse-filled gutters, illegal structures built across waterways, and the destruction of wetlands all contribute heavily to the problem. Nature cannot function properly when we obstruct it.”
She described wetlands as “natural sponges” designed to absorb excess water during rainfall. Over the years, however, many of these wetlands in Rivers State have been sand-filled and converted into residential or commercial areas, leaving water with nowhere to go.
Mrs. Ogolo also criticized the weak enforcement of environmental laws, noting that agencies responsible for monitoring illegal dumping and construction often lack the staff, equipment, and support needed to perform their duties.
In her conclusion, Mrs. Ogolo emphasized that solving the flooding problem will require both government enforcement and community cooperation.
“Proper urban planning must go hand in hand with responsible environmental habits,” she said. “Government must enforce development control strictly, but residents must also do their part by keeping drains clean, respecting waterways, and maintaining their surroundings. If we combine good planning, strict regulation, and community awareness, Rivers State can drastically reduce the impact of flooding.”
