By Michael Nnebife
The Anambra State Directorate of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Awka, has reinforced her flood safety alert campaign in the flood-prone communities of Ayamelum, Anambra East and West Local Government Areas of the State, appealing to them to adopt corrective measures capable of stopping the yearly occurrence of the disaster in their areas.
Addressing the people of the communities in their respective local government headquarters, Anaku, Otuocha and Nzam, the State Director of the Agency, Mr Edozie Ajaegbu, urged the people to form the habit of desilting the drainages around their buildings and as well avoid building houses on or near water channels in order to prevent the yearly flooding in the areas.
The State Director enjoined them to be more proactive by knowing the periods the flood occurred in the area and the necessary things to do at any giving time in order not to be victims.
Contributing, the Deputy Director, Programmes, NOA, Awka, Mr Remigius Obi, reminded the people that the Cameroonian authorities had released water from the Lagdo Dam, hence the overflowing of the water banks in Nigeria.
Mr Obi also informed them that the current flooding in the country would affect 11 states of which Anambra State was one and added that Ayamelum, Anambra East and West Local Government Areas, were some of most targeted places the flood would hit hard.
He appealed to them to assist NOA in telling their people to move away from the flooding areas for the safety of their life and property.
In their separate speeches, the Deputy Director Administration, NOA, Awka, Barrister Ifeoma Chijioke, and the Assistant Director, Programmes, Mr Ignatius Obiorah, assured the people that the team had seen their rice farms, palm trees and houses submerged by the flood, urging the elites of the flood-prone communities to join NOA in the campaign by telling their subjects the need to cultivate their crops on time to avoid the havoc and devastations that came with flood water in the areas.
In their separate responses, the Special Adviser to the Chairman of Anambra East, Mrs Ngozi Udozor; the President-General of Anaku Community, Mr Paul Nwuba and the Deputy Chairman of Anambra West Local Government Area, Mrs Nkeiruka Ndife, described the event as very apt, highlighting the necessity to educate and sensitize the people on all they needed to know about the flood to avoid more havoc.
The councilor, Otuocha Ward II, and his Aguleri-Otu Ward counterpart, Mr Neche Odigbo and Emmanuel Moukwe, respectively, among others, called on the federal government to seek a permanent solution to the flooding by building irrigations for early crop cultivation in the areas, dam and dredging of the Rivers Niger and Benue to contain the flood water from the Lagdo Dam of Cameroon to Nigeria.
Distribution of flyers on how to prevent flood to the people was one of the highlights of the campaign.
