The Anambra government says the flooding in parts of the state has assumed a monumental dimension, leaving many residents without food and water.

In an interview on Monday, Deputy Governor Onyekachukwu Ibezim said the deaths, destruction of property, and livelihood were no longer tolerable.

“This is monumental. It is the worst we have seen in recent times. Lives have been lost, properties have been destroyed, and economic activities, including farmlands, have been washed away by this flood,” he said.

Mr Ibezim said the time had come for the federal government to systematically engage Cameroonian authorities in diplomatic discussions to release water from their dams.

He said dredging of the River Niger had become imperative as a strategy to reduce the effect of flood and the overflow volume sustainably.

“Time has come for the federal government to discuss with the Cameroonian authorities how to manage the release of water from their dams. This should not be allowed anymore,” added the deputy governor.

Mr Ibezim said the flood volume had overstretched the state’s rescue and intervention plan as each day came with new challenges and that the government was doing its best with assistance from private sector-driven groups, noting that it was time the federal government waded in to help contain the situation.

According to him, some of the IDP camps have been flooded, like the ones in Ogbaru have been sacked, and the entire area has been overrun by water.

“Intervention needs are increasing. We are supplying lifejackets to reduce the risk for those using boats and canoes to migrate. We are providing water to those in camps because there is no potable water in all the affected local government areas,” the deputy governor explained. “Food demand has increased because the farms have been cut off while more people are entering the camps. They need medicals, bedding and other items.”

Mr Ibezim urged friends and relations of affected people to graciously extend invitations to them and welcome them if they sought accommodation in their homes to reduce the pressure in the holding camps across Anambra.

(NAN)