2012 disaster took a toll on farming in communities affected by the disaster, says relief agency boss.
FeaturedNigeriaSpecial Reports June 4, 2013 admin
Correspondent, Dianabasi Effiong spoke with the Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Relief Agency (SEMA), Vincent Aquah on the impact and role of his agency following the 2012 flooding that devastated several communities of the state after the Lagdo Dam in Cameroun burst and overflowed into neighbouring Nigeria. Excerpts:
SEMA D.G, Aquah.
“Cross River was one of the states affected by the discharge from the Lagdo Dam, Cameroun in 2012.
Altogether 212 communities were flooded, 1,800 houses destroyed, 82,361 farms destroyed, more than 49,000 people were displaced. Public structures including 15 churches, 13 schools, 18 markets were pulled down, 34 persons sustained very serious injuries, and 13 persons lost their lives when they got drowned.
With these we had huge humanitarian problems which the State Government had to deal with. The Federal Government also responded because it was a national disaster that required not just the state’s response but response from the international community because the flood traversed international boundaries.
The state government carried its response by addressing the humanitarian needs of those affected. The federal government also sent relief assistance besides the cash grants given to affected states and set up the Federal Flood Disaster Management Committee headed by Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
That committee is really up and doing and had delivered some relief materials to the state government. These were equitably distributed to the various communities.
Other bodies that responded to the plight of the flood victims were NEMA; Federal Ministry of Agriculture, which released grains to all the states involved including Cross River; Flour Mills; Nigerian Ports Authority; Lions Club International; NDDC; Presidential Amnesty programme and other organisations. The materials included rice; beans noodles; garri; oil; mattresses; mats; salt; and others.
They were administered by the state flood disaster management committee in eight local government areas affected by the flood from Lagdo Dam. The committee is headed by Mr Efiok Cobham, the state Deputy Governor. What we did was to agree on what quantity goes to what local government area.
Then down at the community we also set up the LG and Community flood disaster management committee headed by the chairman of council and the clan head respectively.
Post Disaster Assessment
Today we have taken a swift look at the communities to do a quick post disaster assessment and what we observed is that it has taken a toll on farming in all those communities and adjourning communities affected by the disaster.
You find them now in semi-stabilised condition because they have settled back at their homes but they are still experiencing food insecurity. A lot of the communities are seriously devastated and are yet to return to their homes; most of them are still squatting. And most of these communities require total rehabilitation.
Communities likely to be obliterated (submerged), requiring relocation
We have two major communities that should be relocated. These communities are those that will suffer another “total engulfment’’ when the next flood comes. They are Eja in Obubra and Agwagune in Biase.
Eja hitherto had never experienced the kind of serious flooding that we had last year, but with changing times and the volume of water that came in downstream from Lagdo Dam they could not escape it.
Agwagune on the other hand had been experiencing annual flooding; it is also a community prone to coastal erosion and landslide and has lost close to 90 per cent of its habitable landmass to landslide and flooding.
It had its worst flooding session in 2012 and if the prediction of NIMET for 2013 is anything to go by then Agwagune is likely to be obliterated come 2013 flooding; the whole community will be wiped out; it also requires relocation.
2013 flood prediction by NIMET
On 2013 flood prediction Cross River government is on its way to putting up a contingency plan for its management, SEMA has done a request to the governor to approve a Stakeholders’ workshop based on which the contingency plan will be drawn on the management of the anticipated 2013 flooding.
We intend to involve all the stakeholders, including those who are likely to be victims to ensure that the impact of the communities that lie along the pathway of this flood is drastically reduced.
We still appeal to the Federal Government, charitable organisations and individuals to assist in the management of the 2013 flooding.
Today we have begun to witness part of NIMET flood prediction in Cross River. We have experienced in most cases short lived but very heavy rain which have created havoc through “flash flood’’.
So far in Calabar we have had destruction caused by flash flood as a result of very heavy rainfall. We have so far lost three lives to drowning; about five people carried away by the current were rescued during the last two rainfalls in the state capital.
Aquah said he could not immediately mention the costs resulting from intervention through relief materials as well as the cumulative cost of what the state government has done without recourse to the account department.
But I know that a huge amount of money have been spent by the State and Federal government to manage the effect of last year’s flood disaster occasioned by the release of excess water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroun.
Advice
Actually 2 experiment has proved positive in Calabar Metropolis especially in respect of the flooding that used to be experienced in the past in Calabar South. But there are new areas that we have experienced flooding in these areas and I am sure the Ministry of Environment has taken note of these challenges and the state government is going to address the problem very effectively because it is very concerned about the flood situation especially in the state capital.
What I will advise people to do is that when it rains as much as it is possible you should keep far away from the drainage path, from water channels and from flood plains to avoid loss of lives.”
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