Flooding: South-East Govs, NEMA Declare Zero Tolerance For Silted Drains

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu state governments have declared zero tolerance for blocked or silted-up drains to avert flooding in the zone.

They made the declaration in separate interviews with journalists on preparations for the 2025 flood predictions in the South East by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).

NIMET identified 30 states that would likely experience heavy rains and possible flooding.

The head of operations NEMA in Enugu, Ngozi Echeazu, said the agency started early sensitisation and action plans to avert the incidents of flash floods within the major metropolis and highly populated areas within the South-East.

She said that the agency had remained proactive knowing that the 2025 Flood Prediction forecast an early onset of rains in the South-East.

Echeazu, whose office covers NEMA operations in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States, noted that the agency had held some engagements with its partners and critical stakeholders on the need to start early on all sensitisation and action plans.

She said that NEMA had written to state governments, State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and council areas on the 2025 Flood Prediction stating the need for all to start preparations to forestall flash floods usually coming with early rains.

According to her, with the active collaboration of Enugu SEMA and, the Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC), NEMA has carried out massive sensitisation in major markets in two local governments within the Enugu metropolis, whose locations had high population and human activities.

Echeazu noted that during the sensitisation, NEMA and its partners reached out to the market leadership, traders and passers-by on the need to check the dumping of refuse in drains and waterways as well as the desilt of all drains.

“We are using the NYSC-NEMA Vanguard to reach out to schools and playgrounds and fields to sensitise youths, who are the ones that evacuate their families’ waste, to do it properly and desist from dropping them indiscriminately,” she said.

The operational head noted that the agency’s sensitisation had not been full-blown since the awaited logistics support from headquarters was yet to arrive, adding: “We are doing the ones within Enugu to manage cost.”

Corroborating, the chairman of the Enugu South LGA, Caleb Ani, said that for the past two months, the council had embarked on ‘operation open drainages’.

The chairman said that the council had deployed resources to ensure that major drainages and waterways were opened.

Ani noted that ward councillors and neighbourhood chairmen had been engaged and sensitised on the need to complement what the council had done by desilting drainages and waterways in their areas.

The chairman noted that he had briefed market chairmen and heads that indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the road and on drainages especially in Mayor and Garki Markets would not be tolerated any more.

“We want to ensure that proactive steps are taken to forestall all forms of flooding be it the initial flash flood or the main flood in the later part of the year as forecast by NIMET,” he said.

In Anambra, the commissioner for environment, Felix Odimegwu, said the state government has kicked off a statewide campaign codenamed “Operation Clear Your Waterways”.

He said that the whole essence of the statewide campaign was to clear the drainages for the free flow of flood water ahead of the rainy season across the communities and cities of the state.

Odimegwu said that the enforcement had already commenced, saying that the campaign was under Public Health Law, Drainage Management Policy and Environmental Management, Protection and Administration Law.

He disclosed that the proactive measure initiated was in line with Governor Charles Soludo’s vision to transform Anambra into a smart mega city.

Odimegwu said that the state already braced up for the challenges hence the reasons for the state’s quick response to the 2025 weather prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.

“To prevent potential flooding and associated risks, we have declared a zero-tolerance policy on blocked or silted drains,” he said.

Odimegwu urged residents to evacuate all de-silted debris around their domain warning that offenders would be prosecuted according to the law.

Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has blamed incessant flooding at Anor community in the Ivo Local Government Area on an abandoned Dam project.

Clement Ovuoba, executive secretary of the agency, revealed that a section of the uncompleted Dam had collapsed thereby causing flooding annually in the area.

According to him, lives, houses, farmlands and outputs are affected during the rainy season.

He explained that during the rainy season, two rivers in the area merge together, finding their way into the dam, overflowing and splitting apart because of the damage.

“Ivo abandoned Dam is another place we have serious flooding in the state during rainy season.

“Ngwongwo, Okwe and Amokwe in Anor community where the Dam is situated, have suffered for years now,” Mr Ovuoba said.

He called on the federal government to pay attention to the perennial experience and intervene by ensuring completion of the dam project in the area to mitigate flood.

He commended the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) on the Iyiudele drainage project and others in the capital city and stressed the need to channel the Ebonyi River to reduce flooding.

The SEMA official disclosed its readiness against any eventual flooding in the state and announced reactivation of effective response.

He said the reactivation followed the release of seasonal rainfall prediction and warning of heavy rainfall in 30 states, including Ebonyi by NIMET in its weather forecast.

He said that the state had commenced sensitisation campaign through jingles, public lectures on disaster control and advocacy visits to avert any emergency.

He urged those in the affected areas to avoid building on water ways, clean up drainages and utilise other key information and warning to avert flood.

“We have reactivated town hall meetings across the state and reached flood prone places such as Ivo, Ikwo, Izzi, Abakaliki, Afikpo North LGAs to pay attention to warnings.

“The locations are always impacted by flooding,” he said.

He further disclosed reactivation of its temporary Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDP) across the 13 LGAs in the state as steps taken to avert flooding.

He said that the temporary IDP camps, located across the state would accommodate 2,000 IDPs.

“The camps comprised churches with school dormitories and other school structures.

“They were not built as permanent camps but improvised to enable affected victims relocate to safety.”

NAN

Flooding: South-East Govs, NEMA Declare Zero Tolerance For Silted Drains is first published on The Whistler Newspaper