Relocate to safer climes, Delta govt urges residents of flood-prone areas

Residents living in flood-prone areas in Delta State have been urged to urgently relocate to safer areas in line with the warning of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

It will be recalled that NEMA had warned that the level of water, especially in River Niger, has kept rising.

State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu gave the warning on Tuesday, shortly after the maiden State Executive Council (Exco) meeting in the second term of Governor Okowa’s administration.

“Today, we had the inaugural exco meeting; a lot of far-reaching decisions were taken and we resolved that we enlighten our members about the warning by NEMA that flood is rising and our people who are living in flood-prone areas should, as a matter of urgency, relocate to safer areas.

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“Our governor, Senator Okowa presided at the exco meeting and the issue of safety of our people in riverine communities was seriously discussed.

“Measures are being put in place to ensure that the flood situation is properly managed; recall that our governor was very proactive in managing the flood situations in the previous years and we are calling on our people to start relocating now,” Mr Aniagwu pleaded.

In like manner, Commissioner for Works, Chief James Auguye, disclosed that the exco also approved the construction of two more storm drainages to channel water “from Okotomi axis in Okpanam to terminate at Iyi Okwu stream and another from the Specialist Hospital to drain into the storm drainage on Ralph Uwechue Street.”