The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately address the plights of victims of recent flood disaster in Ahoada, Ogba, Egbema and Ndoni areas of Rivers State.
This is just as the House also called on the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Inland Waterways Agency (NIWA) to come up with mitigating and palliative measures to prevent the spread of diseases in the areas.
The resolution followed a motion brought under matters of urgent public importance by Uchechukwu Nnam-Obi (PDP, Rivers) and seconded by Ken Chikere (PDP, Rivers) on the “need to address the plight of communities sacked by flood in Rivers State.”
In a lead debate, Nnam-Obi explained how rise in sea level and tidal surge from persistent rainfall had wrecked havoc on coastal areas and River Basin communities in some areas of Ahoada West/Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency of Rivers State.
“The devastating flood in Ahoada West/Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency in Rivers State has ravaged crops, farmlands, homes, schools and businesses.
“The situation is a serious humanitarian crises as families are rendered homeless and their means of livelihood destroyed by flood.
“The health and sanitary conditions in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps have become unbearable and could be deadly if urgent measures are not taken,” Nnam-Obi noted.
The House unanimously adopted the motion, and mandated its Committee on Environment to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other relevant agencies to ensure that all the prayers in the motion are complied with.
