At least five rural communities in Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria, have been submerged by flood, hampering human and vehicular movements in those areas.
Dr. Jap, Okolo, the president general of the Association of Anambra State Town Unions, ASATU, raised the alarm on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 in Awka.
According to Okolo, the communities mostly affected in the riverine areas of the State are Eziagulu Out Aguleri, Mmiata Anam , Umuoba Abegbu Anam, Iyiora Anam, and Umueze Anam, adding that water Hyacinth weeds in Omambala River which traverses Anambra East and West local government areas and empties into the River Niger impedes efforts by residents of the area to evacuate their farm produce to the upland areas.
He called on the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, to assist in clearing the waterways of Riverine communities in Anambra East and Anambra West local government areas of water Hyacinth to enable them evacuate to upland areas.
Okolo said, the water Hyacinth covers a stretch of some 40 kilometer on the Ezichi, Oda River waterways from Eziagulu Otu Aguleri through other coastal communities.
He said the people could not come out because of the inability of boats to move on the weeds which had taken over the waterways.
“People of Anambra East and West cannot come out and they need the intervention of the SEMA and NEMA to be able to be evacuated”, he said.
