Delta Govt asks people living in flood-prone areas to relocate

Wednesday, August 7, 2019 8:20 am

From Right: Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Ehiedu, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Mr Olisa Ifejika, and the Commissioner for Works, Chief James Augoye, during the inaugural post EXCO meeting in Asaba.

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Delta State Government has urged its citizens living in flood-prone areas to urgently relocate to safer areas in compliance to warning of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that the level of water, especially in River Niger is rising and may overflow and cause flooding.

The decision for Deltans in the flood-prone areas to urgently relocate was made known to journalists on Tuesday, August 6 by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, shortly after the maiden State Executive Council (Exco) meeting in the second term of Governor Okowa’s administration.

“Today, we had the inaugural exco meeting; a lot of far reaching decisions were taken and we resolved that we enlighten our members about the warning by NEMA that flood is rising and our people who are living in flood-prone areas should as a matter of urgency, relocate to safer areas.”

“Our Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa presided at the Exco meeting and the issue of safety of our people in riverine communities was seriously discussed; measures are being put in place to ensure that the flood situation is properly managed; recall that our Governor was very proactive in managing the flood situations in the previous years and we are calling on our people to start relocating now,” Mr Aniagwu said.

The Commissioner for Works, Chief James Auguye in his contributions, disclosed that the Exco also approved the construction of two more storm drainages to channel water “from Okotomi axis in Okpanam to terminate at Iyi Okwu stream and another from the Specialist Hospital to drain into the storm drainage on Ralph Uwechue Street.”