THE easier part is to find who to blame for the worst flood in Nigeria, according to official records, “since 1936”. The tougher part — Nigerians would be interested in — is what can be done to forestall such devastation.

Some of the losses could have been avoided, if planning of our settlements considered these eventualities. Deaths, with official figures of more than 200 people, could have been minimal, if rescue operations worked.

Everyone knows that floods with more ferocity hit other parts of the world. The authorities in those places intervene and save lives.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, issued warnings, evacuated people and provided relief materials, but the measures were well below the magnitude of the disasters that spread through the six geo-political zones, and could last beyond October.

Many Nigerians are for the first time learning that the over-filling of the Nyos, Kiri and Lagdo dams in Cameroon could lead to the River Benue overflowing its banks.

The flood witnessed in Nigeria has also been linked to climate changes. We do not need to act while governments still consider the issue important.

There are many parts of Nigeria that are prone to flooding. The dams in Cameroon are not to blame for the situation. It has to be admitted too that Nigerian authorities had planned 33 years ago, to construct buffer dams on River Benue to counter the overfilling of dams in Cameroon.

The plans are still in the files. Will they be implemented in the light of these disasters? The dredging of the River Niger should be comprehensive enough to get the waters into the sea.

More projects that would prevent flood would include provision of safer habitations for those living close to the banks of the rivers.

Beyond these, the Ecological Fund should be transparently invested in protecting the environment. Billions of Naira warehoused in that account monthly, has not been used in tackling various environmental menaces like erosion which the current flood would worsen.

The consequences of the devastation are not one we can bear too often. Farms and livestock have been lost. Food prices would rise and the billions of Naira lost would slow down economic growth.

Governments should not forget the victims after providing temporary relief. Indications are that the challenges flooding throws up go for the long haul.

It would be important to evolve strategies, not only for caring for the displaced, but for ameliorating damages from future floods.

A great start would be detailed attention to protection of the environment from daily practices that expose it to flooding and the maintenance and construction of more dams to take up the waters around us.