The Technical Committee on Flood
Impact Assessment set up by the Delta State Government, has said that about
10billion naira was required for the reconstruction of infrastructures
destroyed by flood as well as the resettlement of victims of the flood that
devastated the state last year.
At a public presentation of its
report yesterday in Asaba, Prof Chris Orubu who presented the report on behalf
of the Technical Committee, disclosed that 231 communities in 12 local
government areas of the state were adversely affected.
Besides, he said that 220 primary
schools and 84 secondary schools were damaged, 357 fish farms destroyed, while
753 market stores were affected.
Prof Orubu who described the flood
as the worst in the last 50 years said the cost of road maintenance was not
accommodated in the report.
He however recommended immediate
fumigation and construction of deep well water in the villages affected by the
flood.
Calling for the rehabilitation of
failed portions of roads in the rural areas, Prof Orubu recommended the supply
of farm implements and machines to farmers.
The university don said the Committee
recommended for improved weather forecasting system to ensure accuracy in
predictions as well as cross country management of rivers to check flooding.
Orubu who said the Committee’s
report was divided into short and long term stated that the Committee was
optimistic that when all natural water channels were opened up, flooding in the
state would be minimized.
The chairman of the Technical
Committee and Vice Chancellor, Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU) who in
his remarks before the presentation of the report said more mud houses were
destroyed during the flood disaster and requested the state government to
establish a database that would vividly capture the depth of the flood
disaster.
He regretted that while the
committee was preparing its report, some unscrupulous elements made attempt to
influence the committee’s report negatively.
He however said members of the
committee resisted the fifth columnist stoutly and came up with an objective
report which he said even though was technical in nature but was simplified for
the understanding of all those who would come across the report.
Receiving the report the state
governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan appealed to the Federal government, corporate
organizations and individuals to assist the state government to enable it
contend with the enormous problems the flood disaster heaped on the state.
Dr Uduaghan disclosed that it would
be difficult for the state government to raise 10 billion naira for the
reconstruction of infrastructures and resettlement of flood victims, and
promised to send the report to the Alhaji Aliko Dangote-led national committee
on flood disaster as well as the National Emergency Management Agency for
study.
He however assured that his
administration would work in collaboration with the State House of Assembly to
raise more funds to deal with the situation.
His words: “This problem is enormous
for the state government to shoulder alone because it is not going to be easy
for the state government to raise 10 billion naira for the reconstruction of
infrastructures. The Federal government gave us 500 million naira grant but we
have not touched the money as we have been spending funds from our coffers”.
Explaining that the state government
had put measures in place to check flood occurrence, Dr Uduaghan said ‘’We are
going to remove all structures blocking all water ways and any building permit
on natural water ways will be revoked and the building pulled down with
government sanctioning the officer responsible”.
Membership of the Prof Arubayi
led-Committee was drawn entirely from the departments at the Sate owned DELSU.
