15 March 2013

AS YOU MAKE YOUR RIVER BED, SO SHALL YOU LIE. . .

It was like hurricane Katrina all over again, the water just kept rising--from ankles to knees to chest--and we felt it was a joke. It swallowed communities in the south states;Bayelsa,Rivers,Akwaibom. And when those far from the Atlantic were breathing a sigh of relief;Niger,Benue,etc got affected too. According to CNN,about 21 states were affected. People lost their farms, farms lost their crops,and crops lost their farmers.snakes,crocodiles and fishes were left homeless too. It was a huge disaster. And right now with the relief material we've donated,we are 'patting ourselves on the back' thinking its all over. . .do you think its over?

From my study of Biomimicry, i've come to understand that Nature cares for Nature. And it has a cycle, once that cycle is tampered with things get pretty nasty.

On March 14th--International Day of Action for Rivers--in many parts of the developed world, people protest for the closing down of dams and other projects that hinder the free flow of rivers,and thus cause a threat to aquatic life.but over here in Nigeria, if Kainji dam is closed, what will we fall back on?? Have we invested in other sustainable sources of energy??

Many people cited many reasons for the massive Flooding last year.some said its because of dredging, others said Kainji dam burst open, another group even said a dam in Cameroun was opened. Many reasons were given,but I think it boils down to our basic river habits. How do we treat rivers?

People see nothing wrong with throwing garbage into the drainage--not knowing this would hinder the free flow of water back to the rivers--what about Waterside settlements? When i watch movies and see those beautiful waterside apartments in Florida or paris, it makes me really appreciate nature. We need to clean up our waterside--and the Government shouldnt just evacuate people without making arrangements for them.

The truth is, if we dont stop interupting the flow of nature; we'd surely keep getting the negative consequences. Because no matter how singers sing songs about the floods, or poets write poems for the flood victims. Nothing would change except we change. Remember; as you make your river bed, so shall you lie. . .


#WIKINA EBENEZAR--6 paragraphs for UN[International Day of Action for rivers 2013]

No comments:

Post a Comment