Thousands of indigenes of Amagu, Inyimagu, Igbudu, Ekpomaka, Achara and Alike communities in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi State have been rendered homeless following a heavy downpour that occured in the state in the last four days.
The rainfall which submerged many buildings also affected many of the farmlands especially rice, yam and cassava farms.
The affected communities in Ikwo council has heavy concentration of farming activities in the state especially rice and yam farms.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP in Alike community, one of the victims of the flooding, Christopher Mbam said that the persistent flooding in the state would result to food scarcity in the state come next year except urgent steps are taken to avert a reoccurrence.
LEADERSHIP also observed that the flooding has also affected the movement of people from the different communities as most of the rural roads were also submerged.
Mbam, who is a rice farmer noted that the flooding was caused by the heavy rainfall which lasted for over four hours in the Abakaliki, the state capital and its environs adding that all the rain through the big drainages constructed in Abakaliki to check the flooding in the capital city now empty in the communities.
“We have not had it this bad in the last couple of years but since the federal government constructed the drainage systems in Abakaliki to control the flooding in the capital city, all the rain collected by the drains now empty into our communities and has seriously affected our homes and farms,” Mbam said.
The victims who described as unfortunate the incident noted that their household appliances were all destroyed adding that many of them have been displaced.
