Anambra: Fear Grips 84 Communities Over Pending Flood

 ....Farmers Lament Govt Inaction

By Okey Maduforo

Residents of over eighty four Communities in the eight local government areas of Anambra state are currently leaving in fear ahead of the year 2025 perennial flooding in the area.

Their fears are that preliminary arrangements to avert the devastating menace of flood disaster are non existent coupled with the absence of permanent Holding Camps in the area .

The farmers and residents in those communities have alleged that there are no fresh capturing of those areas by the Anambra state government, a development they said world catch government napping when the flood comes.

The eight local government areas include Ogbaru, Ayamelum, part of Onitsha South, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Anambra East and West and Awka North Council Areas.

According to the Chairman, Children Of Farmers Club Comrade Chris Okwuosa from Umuzu in Ogbaru local government area, "During every flood disaster both the Federal and State governments are caught napping because they do not take measures on time to avert or control the level of devastation in our Communities.

"Like my town that belongs to two local government areas of Ogbaru and Ihiala, in the last seven years no local government area Chairman has visited us and you remember that four years ago over 250 persons were trapped by the flood for about a month without relief materials and without medical attention." 

Also speaking Mr Clement Igwilo a fish farmer who also runs a piggery at Omor in Ayamelum local government area, "We have resigned to fate because by now there should have been early moves to put things in place for us the farmers and the Mayors in the respective local government areas have not done anything at least to visit those areas and have an on the spot assessments to know what to do when the flood comes and this is very unfortunate," he said.

Mrs Nkechi Nwokoye a trader at a local Inoma market in Anambra West local government area described the situation as an abandonment by the state and federal governments.

"Every election they come here to promise us everything and when the flood comes you will not see them and you will not see food to eat and at the end of the flooding the government would not even give us seedlings and casava stems to start the next farming season"

"People die of cholera and other forms of illnesses and the local health centers do not have doctors and there are no drugs and even to give us beddings and mosquito nets is difficult.

"They should start now to do something before it is too late and not when the flood comes they begin to share noddles that would only last for two days and they will go to the Television to say that they have done everything," she lamented.