Anambra Moves To Check Flooding

The Anambra Government is mobilising the people to embark on a massive clearing of drains as a proactive measure to forestall flood disasters in the state.

The Commissioner for Environment, Dr Mike Egbobuike, told newsmen  on Thursday in Awka that the residents were to blame for flood disasters resulting from blocked drains.

“We are going to enforce clearing of drains, particularly in major flood-proned areas.

“Government has constructed the drains and the communities must keep them clean, because they are the ones who always get them littered,” he said.

The commissioner said work had begun at bigger water ways, such as the Sacamori-Nwangene channel in Onitsha, where the Federal Government was assisting to desilt the channel into the river Niger.

He said: “The Iyi-Agu flood channel in Awka currently under construction will also be ready before the rains begin, to take all the water coming from the state capital.

“We are finding solutions to flood and erosion problems with assistance from the Federal Government and the World Bank.”

Egbobuike said construction work on erosion sites in the state would begin in December, adding that traditional rulers had also been asked to provide data of erosion sites in their communities.

The Director of the state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Nwabufo Ijezie, told our correspondent  that the body had commenced public awareness campaign and sensitisation in the flood-proned areas.

He said the measure was aimed at preventing flood disasters in the areas, adding that government had no plans to relocate flood-proned communities.

“We have advised vulnerable communities, especially at river banks, to move to higher grounds to reduce the effects of flood on their buildings and crops.

“We have also encouraged farmers in such regions to start early farming through the use of advanced yielding seeds for them to harvest their crops before the rains begin,” he added.

Newsmen  reports that crops and buildings worth millions of naira were lost to flood in some communities in Oyi, Ogbaru, Anambra East and Anambra West council areas in 2010.

The affected communities had urged government to declare the area a disaster zone, but only relief materials were distributed to them.