The Rivers State Governor,
Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi will next week declare open an international conference on flood and erosion prevention protection, and mitigation in Port Harcourt.
The conference is being organised by the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) in conjunction will some local and international organisations.
Briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt on Monday, chairman of the Local organising committee for the conference Professor T.K.S Abam said that the conference is part of the continued advancement of flood and erosion control and management practices and policies around Nigeria.
Prof Abam who is also the Director, Institute of Geo-Sciences and flood control at the university also described the conference is a response by the institution to the peculiar challenges of its environment.
According to him, the conference aims to bring together leading academics, scientists researchers and scholars of diverse backgrounds to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of flood and erosion prevention, protection and mitigation and hopefully formulate the needed national response to hazards of this nature, he said.
Professor Abam said the subthemes of the conference include risk management in flood-related disaster, innovation in flood mitigation and adaptation and capacity building for integrated water resources management.
Others are social and health impacts of flood, community participation in flood disaster management, legal and rehabilitation issues in flood management.
Also speaking Dr A.E Gobo said that the conference would address the problem if buildings in water right of ways.
He also said that the conference would provide opportunity for the university to keep records on flooding.
Total Assistant Manager, Dr (Mrs) Nkoyo Attah (right) chatting with Mrs Hellen Nkwo during the official launch of the Expanded Community HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria Prevention Education Project organised by Total Upstream Companies and Total Nigeria Plc recently at Trans-Amadi Indsutrial Layout, Port Harcourt. Photo: Obina Prince Dele