L-R: Delta State Commissioner for Environment, Mr John Nani, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs Nana Fatima, Director-General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Mr Moses Beckley and Benue State Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment, during a news conference on the 2015 floods agenda in Abuja, recently.
Ahead of the 2015
flood disaster in the state, the Rivers State Ministry of Special Duties, will this week flag off sensitization programme in flood prone Local Government Areas in the state.
The affected Local Government Areas are Abua/Odual Ahoada West, Ahoada East and Ogba Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas.
The rest are, Asari Toru, Degema and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas.
The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Special Duties, Mrs Ibaniba Briggs-Iti who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with The Tide in her office in Port Harcourt, said that the sensetisation programme will be carried from door to door in all communities in the affected local government areas.
Mrs Briggs-Iti also said that apart from the proposed personal contact with people in the flood prone areas, the ministry will also produced Radio and Television jingles while leaflets will be produced and distributed across the state.
She said that the programme was to prepare the people for the impending flooding with a view to avoiding human casualties and minimize damages to infrastructures, adding that the ministry is also working hard to ensure the evacuation of the people to safer areas in the event of the disaster.
The permanent secretary also said that the ministry is working in collaboration with, the affected local government councils to ensure effective coverage of all communities in their areas.
She said that the state government is already taking steps to minimize the likely impacts of the incident on the state through the dredging of rivers and channels, opening up of drains to ensure the free flow of water to the sea, while the two Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps being constructed at Ahoada with the support of the Federal Government is nearing completion.
According to her, the camps will be equipped with the latest infrastructures such as schools and hospitals as well as electricity and others.
Mrs Briggs-Iti used the occasion to call on the people in the affected areas not to panick as the state government is working hard to check the devastating impacts, the flood will have on their communities.