Fifteen communities in Anambra State have been submerged following the overflow of River Niger bank in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The river overflowed its tributaries and submerged farmlands, markets, schools, churches, private and public buildings in the area.
The incident happened less than 24 hours after the Federal Government through Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) predicted the submerging of the Coastal communities in some States of the Federation.
The call made the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to step up mobilisation efforts through opening holding centres across vulnerable local government areas and urged residents of riverine communities particularly in Ogbaru, Anambra East, Anambra West, Awka North, Ekwusigo, Ihiala and Onitsha South to move to higher grounds for safety.
When BusinessDay visited the affected areas, some residents of the area were seen making frantic moves to relocate to safer uplands in the neighbouring Onitsha and Obosi Communities.
Some of them who were interviewed lamented State Government or its agency’s neglects.
Xmai Uyenne, a Community leader from Ogbaru local government area, said that the flood had caused disastrous impact on lives and livelihoods, and displaced residents of the area, including normal daily activities, apart from Okpoko community not affected.
He contended that Ogbaru remains worst hit because it is the last coastal area in the State from where the flood across the Federation enters parts of Rivers and Bayelsa, among others, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
Uyanne, a concerned flood mitigation advocacy spokesman of the Barrister Chika Rita Okwuosa Foundation (BCROF) stated that Government’s fire-brigade approach would not solve the disaster and trauma.
He lamented the failure to put in place sustainable measures to check the menace of yearly flooding across worst-affected areas in the State.
He advocated the review of Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (ANSEMA) law to provide for the recurring annual flood disaster that affects the riverine Communities of the State including Ogbaru area.
He stressed that the expected law should make it relevant to the present situation in order to accommodate a budget allocation to militate against flood disaster.
According to him, the new ANSEMA law should accommodate the rehabilitation and empowerment programme for women and girls as well as other victims of all ages who are the worse victims of the recurring flood disaster.
He recalled that cultivated hectares of rice farm was recently destroyed by the flood and till date there was no form of assistance for the victim.
Uyanne called for inclusive arrangements in the adoption of measures to tackle flood menace, narrating how the physically-challenged persons are worst victims since they are often forgotten during emergency rescue operations, with the result that any of them suffers loss of lives and/or property.
He regretted that many of the aged persons died as many of them are neglected or suffer from contracted diseases inherent in the rampant during the flood crisis.
