Delta opens 10 camps as floods rage in 19 LGAs – Official

The Delta State government has opened 10 camps to accommodate flood-affected Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 19 of the state's 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs).< /p>

Director General of the State Guidance Office Eugene Uzum said this Friday in Asaba during a press conference on the government's efforts to save lives and property following the devastating floods across the state.

He said that in addition to the 10 IDP camps established, the Delta State Petroleum Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) has constructed two camps in the Warri Axis for augmentation.

According to Mr. Uzum, DESOPADEC is also opening blocked drains in the area to allow the flow of water to mitigate the impact of flooding on communities.

He said the situation had become so pathetic and disturbing that some of the affected communities had been overrun by reptiles; snakes and crocodiles.

Mr. Uzum called on the federal government, businesses and charities to come to the aid of the people, providing relief materials to ease their suffering.

He said that while the immediate response is to save the affected people, their families and their properties, the federal government should build new dams along the coastal areas to ensure a permanent solution to the annual floods.

According to Mr. Uzum, the state government has opened 10 IDP camps across the state to cater for the needs of the 19 affected LGAs in the state.

“The government has also opened distribution centers in various locations to deliver relief materials from the federal government, businesses and individuals to support displaced people.

"People have started signing up for the different camps and I have to say the challenge has been critical and will be more than 2012."

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He added that his agency was working with traditional leaders, political aides and chief executives of affected communities to identify vulnerable people and ensure a smooth process.

"As we speak, all eight Delta South LGAs; six Delta North LGAs and five Delta Central Senatorial District LGAs have been inundated by flooding.

"We have both short-term and long-term solutions to this problem of annual flooding; the current response to save lives and property is one of them.

“The long-term solution is to dredge the Benue River and the Niger River, as well as build the necessary dams to drain the large volume of water flowing through the affected states.

"We therefore call on the federal government, businesses and individuals to provide support to affected communities across the state," Uzum said.

There had been no official record of flood deaths in the state, he said.

(NAN)

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