6,000 Farmers Trapped In Flooded Imo Communities
No fewer than 6,000 farmers are trapped in 15 flooded Imo communities, member representing Ohaji-Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Kingsley Uju, has stated.
He appealed to the Federal and Imo State Governments as well as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other interventionist agencies to rescue and resettle trapped residents in the communities covering two local government areas.
He raised the alarm that if urgent measures were not taken, there could be humanitarian crisis and epidemic in the area.
The lawmaker, who was on an assessment tour of the affected communities in Ohaji-Egbema and Oguta Council Areas, said that fifteen communities have been submerged so far with over 6000 people displaced.
Uju, accompanied on the tour by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), also disclosed various farm settlements have been swept away by the flood, adding that some of the farmers were still trapped in the flood.
According to him, the few health centers in the affected communities are overwhelmed.
He said: “What you are seeing is a major disaster, the health centers cannot manage the crisis, from the assessment so far, 15 communities have been submerged and over 6000 people displaced from their homes. The farmers are forced to harvest their premature crops, we need urgent attention to forestall the humanitarian crisis.
“The flood is caused each time the River Niger and the Orashi River surge as a result of the rains and when that happens, all the communities along the coastline will be flooded. This issue of flooding has become an annual occurrence but it seems to be worse this year. Something needs to be done to find a permanent solution to the problem like the construction of shore embankment to save the communities along the shoreline “.
He enjoined the people to remain calm, assuring their plight will be brought before the relevant authority for prompt intervention.
The flood victims who recounted theirs loses appealed to the lawmaker to bring their plight before the relevant authorities, lamenting that they have been abandoned to their fate.
A fish farmer whose farm was washed away by the flood, Mr. Bonadventure Nzoma, said that he lost over 11 million Naira to the flood.
He disclosed that he lost over three thousand fishes including Fingerlings and Crocodiles when his farm was submerged.
The Head Imo/AbiaAbia Operations Office of NEMA, Evans Ugoh, attributed the flood to the topographic nature of the communities surrounded by the Orashi river and Oguta lake.
He said, “we have been on the assessment of the flood in the last two weeks that it started, from the reports, 15 communities have been completely submerged along the coastline, it happens every other year but it is massive this year. We are advising those in affected communities to evacuate to forestall possible casualties.
“After the assessment, we will do our report and relief materials and other forms of assistance will be sent to the victims”.
Some of the communities affected were Mmahu, Etekuru, Obiaakpu, abor, others Oguta one and two, Ezi Orsu, Orsu Obodo, Umuorji, Abacheke, among others.
