Gov Eno constitutes flood mitigation committee after federal govt alert

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has constituted a committee to interface with relevant government agencies to propose necessary actions to mitigate the effect of an impending flood in the state.

The committee was set up two days after the federal government issued an alert warning that at least 31 states in the country, including Akwa Ibom, were at risk of severe flooding.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, who gave the warning on Monday, said that 148 local government areas across 32 states were among the high flood-risk areas for 2024.

Mr Utsev issued the warning while unveiling the 2024 AnnualFloodd Outlook (AFO) in Abuja.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong, announced the setting up of the mitigation committee by the state government and assured residents of the government’s preparedness to minimise the effect of the impending flooding.

Other committee members include Commissioners for Environment and Mineral Resources, Water Resources and Sanitation, Health, Internal Security and Waterways, Agriculture, Information, Lands and Urban Development and the chairperson of Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency.

Governor Eno further directed the immediate activation of the emergency management protocol of the state headed by the Deputy Governor, Akon Eyakenyi.

“The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources and the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency should immediately commence aggressive desilting of gutters and flood control channels across the state,” Mr Ememobong said.

Many parts of Akwa Ibom State, including Uyo, the state capital, are high flood-risk and gully erosion-prone areas.

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Whenever it rains, some flooded roads in the city become impassable to motorists and other road users, with shops and houses affected by the flood.

Governor Eno, in July last year, visited Atiku Abubakar Avenue, one of the worst affected areas by flood in the state capital.

Mr Eno had, during the visit, said the road, which was waterlogged, needed immediate intervention and had since mobilised a contractor whose work on the flooded road is at an advanced state of completion.