By Vincent Ujumadu

Awka- NO fewer than twenty-seven Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camps have been activated by the Anambra State government in readiness for the impending flood following the increasing level of the River Niger.

Seven local government areas are said to be at risk of being flooded this year. They include Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ogbaru, Ekwusigo, Ihiala and Awka North.

Already, some markets in the commercial city of Onitsha are being threatened following the rising level of the River Niger.

However, the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has said that the government is preparing heavily for this year’s flood as it is working with the federal government to handle the situation.

“We are dealing with our environment and we have just received all manner of warnings. We have been preparing to deal with the expected massive flooding and Anambra states is usually expected to be one of those to be most badly affected 

“We are planning very hard on this and the last time it happened about two years ago, eight local government areas were flooded, damaging goods and wealth and assets worth hundreds of billions of naira and displaced hundreds of thousands of persons.

“We are getting ready for that. This year we have been warned so we are preparing and it is going to cost the state a humongous amount of money to do that and we are gathering and getting ready.

“The federal government for example sent some 24,000 bags of rice which we were keeping for this particular major emergency that is expected to happen any moment from now and we are distributing it to the wards and the eight local government areas at seventy bags per ward.

“We are also putting our own together and it would cost resources of billions of naira.”

Meanwhile, residents of some communities in the riverine areas of the state are already evacuating from the flooded areas.

According to the Traditional Ruler of the Omor Community in the Ayamelum local government area, Igwe Chidume  Oranu, those affected are moving with their essential property to the upland.

“We are taking steps to advise our people living at the farm settlements in the flood-prone areas to vacate the area and go to the upland immediately.

*We have also advised our people to begin now to harvest their crops in good time to avert being caught napping,” the Royal Father said.