Residents of the Akiliozizor community in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State have called on the federal government to provide a permanent solution to the recurring flood disasters affecting their area.
Okwudili Oduah, the president-general of the community, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Awka.
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Mr Oduah commended the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for conducting a recent flood emergency simulation exercise in the community, saying it provided valuable insight on managing flood emergencies.
However, he said the challenges faced by people in flood-prone areas went beyond temporary relief and setting up Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
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“Our problem is not just about relocating to camps and receiving food and mattresses. Every flood leaves us poorer. We relocate our families, rebuild our homes yearly, and the roads collapse without repair,” he said.
Mr Oduah said the people of Ogbaru had suffered since 2012 when major floods began to ravage the area annually, displacing households and destroying infrastructure.
He noted that IDP camps were not a preferred option for most residents, as men often stayed behind to protect their property from vandalism, leaving women, children, and the vulnerable in the camps.
He appealed to the federal government to consider building a dam as a long-term measure to control floodwaters, rather than relying on emergency responses to flooding.
“Many houses that used to be on the bank of River Niger in Akiliozizor and other Ogbaru communities have been washed away. Most affected residents are yet to be properly resettled. Some now live in shanties while others squat with relatives because acquiring new land is expensive,” he said.
Mr Oduah further urged the government to adopt best practices from other flood-prone countries, including constructing dams and dredging the River Niger to increase its water-carrying capacity.
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“We are pleading with the federal government, through NEMA, to come up with a more sustainable and long-term solution,” he said.
Ogbaru was among some of the areas in Anambra that suffered from a devastating flood in November last year, as several communities in the state were submerged.
“We thought that the flood would not come this year because the usual period for flooding has passed,” Vanguard newspaper quoted a resident of the area, Chris Okwuosa, as saying last year during the disaster. “By now, the flood should have been receding, but it is coming late.”
Ogbaru frequently suffers from flood because of its closeness to the River Niger.
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