By Jude Atupulazi
The Anambra State Government through its Ministry of Special Duties, has commenced flood intervention pre-planning activities with interactive meetings with people living in riverine communities in the state.
The interactive meeting which will last for ten days, provide an opportunity for government to evaluate the impact of previous years’ flood intervention efforts and to get feedbacks from the people at the grassroots who are mostly affected by the flood, so as to plan and design a more holistic, effective and efficient flood intervention programme.
It also serves as an opportunity to sensitise the people on the upcoming flood as predicted by the Nigeria Hydrological Services and the Nigerian Metrological Agency, NiMET.
According to them, the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook showed that parts of 148 local government areas in 31 states of the federation, including Anambra State, fell within the high flood-risk areas, while part of 249 LGAs in 36 states of the federation and the FCT fell within the moderate flood-risk areas.
Speaking at Ifite-Anam in Anambra West Local Government Area, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Rt Hon Barrister Beverly Ikpeazu-Nkemdiche, told the gathering that the interactive meeting was imperative, as it would help government feel the pulse of the real people affected by the flood, so that their real needs would be reflected in the flood intervention plan.
Commissioner Ikpeazu-Nkemdiche, represented by the Head of Planning, Research and Statistics in the Ministry, Mr Emeka Ezeoke, explained that, regrettably, flood intervention plans implemented by the government were usually found wanting in meeting the needs of the affected persons and as such the current interactive meetings would help close the gaps.
For the President General of Umuoba-Abaegbu, Mr Joseph Anikpeh, who spoke on behalf of the three communities that make up Ifite-Anam, Mmiata-Anam, Iyiora-Anam and Umuoba-Abaegbu, the major challenge facing them was that most times government interventions came in late. He suggested that the planning and implementation be started early so that the purpose of the interventions would not be lost.
Mr Anikpeh also asked that post-flooding interventions such as the provision of farm inputs should come to them between November and January, so they could engage in early farming before the flood season, even as he also called for the provision of enough motor-boats to help in rescue efforts and distribution of food items.
For other speakers, the state government and their partners should also plan for ways to help people who could not reach the selected holding camps and adopt a more democraticized means of distributing interventions, so they would reach the most and real affected persons.
The train of the state government delegation also visited Atani in Ogbaru Local Government Area and Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area where the Commissioner and her entourage interacted with residents of the lower-lands of those communities who are also usual victims of ravaging floods.
