Senate Seeks Urgent FG Help for Flood-Hit Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi

The Senate has called on the Federal Government to intervene urgently in communities hit by flooding and erosion in Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and other states.

 

The resolution followed motions by Sen. Victor Umeh (NDC, Anambra Central), Prof. Anthony Ani (APC, Ebonyi South) and Sen. Osita Izunaso (APC, Imo West) on the floods and gully erosion in their constituencies, which they said had claimed lives, destroyed homes and farmlands and displaced residents.

 

The lawmakers asked the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to supply relief materials to the affected communities, including food, medical supplies and other essential assistance.

 

The Senate also called on the federal ministries of works and environment to assess damaged roads, restore access routes and put in place lasting flood and erosion control measures.

 

Moving the motion on Anambra Central, Umeh said communities in Ogidi, Obosi and Oko were facing severe environmental and humanitarian crises.

 

He blamed the recurring floods and erosion on heavy rainfall, saying the disasters had destroyed homes, farmland and infrastructure and disrupted economic activities and livelihoods.

 

According to Umeh, at least four people, including a pregnant woman and a six-year-old child, had reportedly lost their lives, while several families had been displaced.

 

The senator also raised concern over widening erosion gullies that he said were threatening residential areas and critical transport infrastructure, including sections of the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.

 

Seconding the motion, Ani backed the proposed intervention and drew attention to the wider impact of the floods and erosion on communities in Ebonyi South.

 

He said the floods had destroyed homes, household property, crops and livestock, leaving residents vulnerable and deepening economic hardship.

 

Ani urged NEMA to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected communities and asked the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to assess farm losses and provide emergency support.

 

He also proposed that the Senate observe a minute's silence in honour of those who died in the disasters.

 

Contributing to the debate, Izunaso said flooding and gully erosion continued to threaten communities across Imo West, adding that he had brought a motion on the problem before the Senate in 2023.

 

Izunaso listed several affected communities and roads, saying the erosion had destroyed homes, businesses, farmlands and roads and created dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians.

 

He called on NEMA, relevant agencies and the Imo State Government to carry out emergency interventions, including relief materials, drainage works, road rehabilitation and erosion control.

 

He also called for a coordinated, long-term rehabilitation and ecological restoration programme for the affected communities.

 

Adopting the prayers of the motion, the Senate mandated the relevant ministries and agencies to assess the affected areas and carry out appropriate emergency and long-term interventions.

 

It also proposed an ecological intervention covering affected communities in Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and other states in need of assistance.

 

The Senate further directed its committees on environment, works, and ecology and climate change, alongside others, to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas and report back within one month.

 

The lawmakers then observed a minute's silence in honour of those who lost their lives in the floods.