Flooding: NEMA Begins Sensitisation In Imo Market

The Imo State office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday held a sensitisation rally at Relief Market Owerri to warn against the triggers of flooding and environmental hazards.

The rally was attended by officials of the Imo State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps, Federal Fire Service, journalists,   National Orientation Agency (NOA), and others.

The southeast zonal director of NEMA, Mr. Walson Ibarakumo appealed to traders at the Relief Market Owerri to shun indiscriminate refuse disposal to avoid flooding.

Ibarakumo said NEMA embarked on the sensitisation in markets to alert people on the dangers of indiscriminate refuse disposal.

According to him, uncleared refuse clogs drainages which can cause flooding saying that flooding in Owerri was caused by habits and rains.

The zonal director said, “We have come to appeal to you to always dispose your refuse properly to avoid blocked drainage.

When you throw refuse into gutters during rainfall, you harm yourself in the long run.

“When drainages block, it results in flooding. And if any part of the market is flooded, government will order a closure. So you see, you have a responsibility to ensure that you dispose refuse carefully and properly too”, Ibarakumo said.

On his part, the NEMA Head of Operations for Imo and Abia states, Nnamdi Igwe explained that the weather forecast and predictions had flagged Imo State at the risk of flooding.

Igwe said, “With the torrential winds and rainfall patterns, it’s not safe for you to dispose refuse anyhow. Please dispose them properly so as to avoid flooding.

“When markets are polluted, it causes health hazards and may trigger an epidemic. Please keep the market safe and dispose your refuse properly.

“Keep your environment clean, avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse on our roads and waterways, and when we put hands together to clean our environment, we achieve better results.

“Please take your health seriously because it is cheaper to be healthy than to treat avoidable concerns like cholera, dysentary, typhoid and the likes”, Igwe said.

Some of the traders lamented that there were not enough waste bins in the market to cater for the level of debris accumulated.

Mrs Cecilia Okechukwu called for regular and sustained sensitisation to inculcate in traders and customers on the need to keep their surroundings clean and dispose refuse properly.

The traders appealed to officials of the Eastern Waste Management Agency (EWAMAC) to immediately provide waste bins across the market to reduce the accumulation of refuse in the market.