Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
The Federal Government has been urged to build more dams across the country to reduce the devastation of annual flooding in Nigeria.
The Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, said the country has lost huge human and material resources over the years to the deluge and should not continue to rely on relocating people in riverine areas whenever there is a threat of flooding.
He explained that unless proactive measures are taken, the country will find it difficult to achieve food sufficiency as greater percentage of what is cultivated every year is often washed away by flood, thereby further impoverishing the farmers and pushing the country to the brink of food crisis.
Chief Okeke Ogene who spoke to newsmen in Awka noted that construction of modern dams at strategic locations in the six geopolitical zones will enhance effective collection of excess water which can be preserved and use for irrigation for dry season farming.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Vice President also urged the Federal Government to enter into talks with the government of Cameroon on when and how best to release water from its own dams so that it won’t take other neighbouring countries unawares.
He enjoined residents of Anambra State to embrace healthy sanitation culture and avoid dumping of refuse in waterways or blocking water channels with illegal structures to ensure free flow of water.
