Flooding: Anambra promises to punish offenders and starts desilting drainage
The government of Anambra State has launched a statewide campaign against environmental practices that are harmful to public health, such as choked water channels, through the state Ministry of the Environment.
According to information obtained by Ndiigboworldwide, the drill aims to prevent any flooding tragedy as the rainy season approaches.
One of the states most vulnerable to flooding is Anambra. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency predicted significant flooding in Anambra when the rainy season begins this year in their seasonal rainfall projection for 2024.
Numerous farms, residences, and other properties were allegedly destroyed by floods in 2022 and 2023, leaving many people without a place to live and receiving refuge at several Internally Displaced Person camps around the state.
During the yearly floods, buildings in some of the impacted coastal villages, such as Onitsha South, Ayamelum, Ogbaru, Anambra East, Anambra West, Awka North, and Onitsha North local government areas, are constantly inundated for many months.
Therefore, by putting environmental preservation strategies into practice and developing flood-resilient communities in the state’s coastal districts, the state government has stepped up efforts to lessen flooding in these coastal towns.
The state Physical Planning Board, working with a private company, organized a two-day training on flood-resilient solutions recently. The session was followed by a field tour to a few chosen coastal villages in the Anambra East and West local government areas.
Visited localities included Umueze Anam, Mmiata Anam, Nzam, and Umueri; it is said that more than 70 residents of these settlements perished in 2022 after their boat overturned while they were attempting to flee the flood. A few people in the village also perished in the Omambala River when their boat overturned due to the flooding calamity.
Another recorded death from flooding in one of these settlements included an octogenarian who was asleep when his bed was soaked. A few days later, his body was discovered floating in the water.
The visit to these areas marked the start of the workshop decisions’ implementation, according to Ndiigboworldwide.
During the tour, Chike Maduekwe, the chairman of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, clarified that the goal was to devise strategies for reducing flooding in the state’s coastal areas in order to prevent flood catastrophes.
“A wholesome liveable and prosperous state is what the administration of state governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo is deliberate about building, which is why it is already collaborating with the United Nations Development Programme to develop a flood resilient plan for the state,” Maduekwe continued.
Igwe Ben Emeka, the Umueri people’s traditional ruler, emphasized that whatever that impacts Anambra West also affects the East, particularly the Umueri people living along the riverbank because the Omambala divides them.
Igwe John Ogugua, the traditional king of Nzam, also recounted how their ancestors witnessed and endured high-level floods, which ceased with the building of Kainji Dam and persisted until the most recent climatic change.
Ogugua recommended that the federal and state governments assist in constructing robust structures throughout the coastal areas.
Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Community Affairs, praised the initiative for aligning with the current administration’s urban regeneration agenda. He emphasized the importance of adequate education, particularly for those who have not yet constructed a home.
Nwabunwanne emphasized that strict adherence to the guidelines and recommendations of the state Physical Planning Board is a necessary component of what is required.
According to them, the project will lead to new methods of doing things in coastal communities, just as it may in other nations.
Dr. Felix Odimegwu, the Anambra State Commissioner for Environment, also spoke to journalists in his office on Tuesday about the state’s recent efforts. He said that on February 20, 2024, the ministry issued a statement to the public, ordering all traditional rulers, president-generals, markets, motor parks, schools, estates, churches, abattoirs, shopping centers, and plazas to desilt and remove all silts and debris right away.
Since its establishment, the Soludo-led administration has launched a drainage desilting effort known as “Operation Keep Your Gutters Clean,” with the goal of “achieving a clean, green, and sustainable Anambra,” according to Odimegwu.
“Every year, it is implemented in two stages (phases 1 and 2) as part of a strategy to mitigate flooding,” he stated. The drainage desilting project for this year will spread to other regions of the state after beginning on April 24, 2024, in Awka’s key areas.
Due to the state government’s proactive and purposeful action to desilt all main drainages, rivers, canals, and gutters, the year 2023 saw less floods and no deaths.
“Now is the time for enforcement, and the team will be working in compliance with the Public Health Law 2006, which requires all public properties and their occupants to maintain their drainage systems free of silt and sand obstructions.”
He threatened to arrest anyone who disobeyed, emphasizing that several enterprises that received abatement notices due to noncompliance were sealed and would face legal repercussions.
The commissioner asked Ndi Anambra to take immediate action by draining all canals, streams, and drainage systems since the enforcement team is always prepared to pursue defaulters and impose harsh fines.
According to him, “one of the five pillars of the Soludo-led administration is the environment, and we are adamant about creating a clean, green, and sustainable environment where everyone can live, work, and enjoy life.”
