Written By: Paul Odenigbo
No doubt, the 2019 rainy season has commenced in earnest in different parts of Nigeria. However, reports indicate that this year’s rainy season and impending flooding might be devastating again, but God forbid.
According to information made available to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, Anambra state is likely to be adversely affected by the natural disaster.
A statement by NEMA says that Ayamelum, Anambra East and Anambra West local government areas are highly probable risk terrains of very heavy rainfalls and flooding this year. Other local government areas in probable risk category are; Anaocha, Dunukofia, Njikoka, Ogbaru, Awka South, Oyi, Orumba North and South.
Nonetheless, Anambra state government under the watch of Governor Willie Obiano, who is the Chairman of SEMA, has put machinery in motion to accommodate these endangered local government areas in its emergency and contingency plans.
It is worthy of note that the Actual Annual Rainfall Amount for 2018 in Awka, the state capital, was three thousand, six hundred and thirteen millimetres, as against the predicted Annual Rainfall Amount of one thousand, nine hundred and thirty-five (1935). This shows that the actual rainfall for last year was higher than predicted by one thousand, six hundred and seventy-eight millimetres, which is almost twice the predicted amount.
Flood Outlook for this year, published by the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency, shows that river flooding is expected in the Anambra-Imo Hydrological Area. However, flash and urban flooding is also expected in Awka and Onitsha metropolis such as parts of Obosi, Nkpor and Okpoko.
A simulated hydrograph of Onitsha, lower River Niger Hydrological Station shows that the volume of river discharge would peak at above thirteen thousand millimetres around July ending to first week of August 2019, while the discharge would reach its maximum peak in the second week of September at volume discharge of over fourteen thousand, five hundred millimetres.
Be that as it may, Governor Willie Obiano has mandated the hierarchy and operatives of the Agency as well as other relevant groups, to again commence early warning sensitization meeting with stakeholders of communities in flood prone local government areas of the state. This is aimed at mitigating adverse effects of the impending disaster.
As usual, likely victims of the impending flood disaster would be temporarily settled at Emergency or Holding Centres, otherwise referred to as Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camps, where they would be given succour by both the federal and state governments through NEMA and SEMA as well as other voluntary and faith-based organizations pending the receding of the flood before end of the year.
However, apart from government; the citizenry also have crucial roles to play in order to minimize the adverse effects of the forecasted flood disaster in rural and urban communities. Residents of flood inclined communities should therefore get ready to relocate to higher grounds as soon as water levels of rivers, streams and creeks in their vicinity begin to rise to dangerous proportions.
For their part, residents of urban centres should stop dumping wastes into gutters to allow for free flow of flood water. They should equally, without further delay, begin to desilt blocked drainage channels in their places of domicile and business. A stitch in time saves nine.
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