ENUGU – The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (ANSEMA) have carried out sensitization on proper waste management and flood preparedness across the four high flood prone Local Government Areas in Anambra.
The sensitisation in Anambra West, Anambra East, Ogbaru and Ayamelum Local Government Areas (LGAs) witnessed the commencement of physical downscaling of flood risk and proper waste management to the LGAs/communities that are high flood prone areas in the zone.
Declaring the sensitization open in Anambra West local government council headquarters at Nzam community on Thursday, the acting South-East Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mrs Ngozi Echeazu, said that the sensitization was meant to build capacity of the people on the need for proper waste management and flood preparedness.
Echeazu said that sensitization was held at the various flood prone local government council headquarters to ensure the attendance of local government authorities, traditional rulers, community leaders/members and other relevant stakeholders.
According to her, downscaling the early warning measures to especially those classified as high flood prone areas became necessary for efficient and effective disaster risk management.
“I am calling on local government chairmen, among other stakeholders, to manage local flood risks by clearing the drainages and discouraging indiscriminate waste disposal.
“The council stakeholders should be giving report of water levels on daily basis to both NEMA and ANSEMA.
“There is also need to identify higher grounds for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to seek shelter in the event of flood disaster,” she said.
The coordinator pointed out the dangers associated with improper waste management such as defacing of the environment, breeding of mosquitoes which causes malaria, cholera and other health-related cases that could lead to death.
Echeazu also encouraged the local government authorities and stakeholders on the need to have functional Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) as well as community flood response team and plan.
She noted that the sensitization has commenced in Anambra State and would be extended to other states in the zone namely: Ebonyi and Enugu States.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of ANSEMA, Chief Paul Odenigbo, appreciated NEMA for the “massive and important early warning sensitization exercise.”
“I urge all the stakeholders here to help us to spread this message of proper waste disposal and taking proactive flood preparedness and mitigation steps to their various communities, villages and neighbourhoods and to ensure that no one is left out,” Odenigbo said.
The executive secretary also informed participants that the state government had designated holding centres to accommodate those that might be displaced by the impending flood disaster “as we pray it doesn’t occur”.
He encouraged the Transition Chairman and LEMC members to pay adequate attention to NEMA template for disaster reporting because “it is only the statistics of the affected population in our database that will determine who gets what during the distribution of relief materials.”
According to him, disaster management is a business for everyone; hence all hands must be on deck to ensure a safe, free and liveable environment.
In a presentation on “Flood Preparedness and Waste Management”, which was delivered by Senior NEMA officials, Mr Nnanyelugo Ezeani and Mr Kingsley Okolo, urged stakeholders to extend the message to their communities, villages, neighbourhoods and families for them to take proactive measures against the predicted flooding.
The both presentation, which were made in Igbo language for the understanding of all stakeholders, advised all to embrace cooperative farming and transfer of risk through insurance for easy recovery of their losses in event of any disaster.
The Local Government Chairman and community leaders in attendance at Anambra West, Anambra East, Ogbaru and Anyamelum LGAs appreciated the effort of the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, for her good initiative in extending and downscaling the sensitization to their LGAs.
A community leader in Nzam community, Chief Obinna Anyadike, used the opportunity to advise their people to take serious the issue of proper waste management and flood preparedness as well as enumerated proactive measures all should take to minimise material and human losses.
The sensitization, which offered a brainstorming session, opportunities to make inputs and ask vital questions, witnessed the distribution of flyers on Proper Waste Management and Flood Preparedness tips in both English and Igbo languages to all stakeholders.
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