The National Economic Council (NEC) has declared the flooding ravaging about 34 states in the country a national emergency and major disaster.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra said this while briefing State House correspondents after the NEC meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

“To date, about 34 states, 217 local governments, 1,374,557 persons have been affected, and 740,743 people were displaced nationwide.

“About 321 persons died, 2,854 persons were injured and 281,000 houses were affected; 258,000 cultivated farmland was also destroyed or affected by the ravaging flood,” said Mr Soludo.

He said the Council directed State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) to up their game and increase collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

He said the council resolved that the federal ministry of water resources and sanitation should conduct an integrity review of all the waterways and dams across the country.

“There was serious emphasis on the need for a massive programme of dredging or desilting of the waterways and to have a firm programme of continuous desilting of the waterways on an annual basis.

“The council also urged state governments that have not submitted their flood reports on the status of the flood and the management in their states to do so immediately.

“The council noted that the Green Climate Fund should have an infrastructure resilience fund as a component fund,” said the Anambra governor.

(NAN)