… As Govt. sets up 25 IDPS Camps
BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA
Executive Director of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency Dr.Justine Nwabufo Ejezie has said that the state government looses over 160 billion naira to disaster management in the state.
Dr.Ejezie said that although the aforesaid amount was an under-estimation of the huge sums of money expended on emergencies and disasters caused by man’s harassment of the environment through unhealthy practices.
The SEMA boss who spoke to the reporter in Awka recalled the bitter episode of the 2012 flood disaster in the state . He said that financial burden incurred by the state government during the disaster could not be over-emphasized as about 24 make-shift camps were used to house flood victims during the deluge.
Dr.Ejezie however disclosed that the government of Dr.Willie Obiano has increased the camps to 25 camps for Internally Displaced Persons in the state noting that the camps were no longer make-shift but currently designed in tandem with international standards on disaster management.
According to him the state government recently procured mass cooking pots , life jackets including other items for the camps scattered across the state adding that contrary to what happened in 2012 flood disaster , the internally displaced persons camps will have security , electricity , toilets , bathrooms , as well as other amenities needed in the camps .
He therefore stated that the state government prepared for flood in 2013 but there was no flood disaster and that 2014 government was also combat ready to tackle flood followng the purchase of some materials to cushion the effects of flooding should it occur noting that people would be evacuated immediately to the 25 camps, this he described as emergency preparedness by the state government .
On erosion menace in Aanmabra state , the executive director of SEMA stated that the fragile nature of soil in the south-east region and Anambra state in particular has made the state erosion -prone . Although he also noted that the presence of the National Erosion and Watershed Management Project [ NEWMAP ] as well as the National Geo- Hazards were in the state to effectively manage erosion menace in Anambra state .
He further explained that the perennial places of erosion manace in the state were in Nanka , Oko , Agulu , Obosi , Omaba layout Onitsha and some other sites across the state noting that most of the erosion problems were caused by human harassment of the environment and that the erosion site at Oko in Orumba-North local government area was very active in the sense that it expanded by the day adding that houses were falling into the gully .
Dr.Ejezie who called on all and sundry to rally round Governor Willie Obiano in his drive to guarantee sustainable environment to avoid disasters which he said was capital intensive to remedy the situation, admonished Anambrarians to desist from blocking water channels with refuse as it was the remote cause of erosion menace in the state.
