By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Senate on Wednesday ordered a nationwide assessment of communities ravaged by flooding and erosion, directing its relevant committees to inspect affected areas and submit recommendations on relief, reconstruction and long-term intervention within one month.
The action followed three related motions on the destruction caused by the disasters in Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo states, with lawmakers raising concerns over deaths, displacement, damaged roads, destroyed farmlands and the loss of livelihoods.
The Senate specifically directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide immediate relief to victims, including food, potable water, temporary shelter, medical supplies and other essential materials.
It also urged the Federal Ministry of Works and relevant agencies to assess and reconstruct damaged roads, restore access to communities cut off by flooding and erosion, and strengthen drainage infrastructure in vulnerable areas.
The Federal Ministry of Environment was similarly asked to undertake technical assessments of affected locations and implement sustainable flood and erosion-control measures, including the construction, rehabilitation and expansion of drainage and stormwater systems.
The Senate further directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to assess losses suffered by farmers and provide emergency grants to those whose farmlands, crops and livestock were destroyed.
To ensure implementation, the Committees on Environment, Works, Ecology and Climate Change, alongside other relevant committees, were mandated to conduct on-the-spot assessments of affected communities nationwide and report back within one month.
The lawmakers said the recurring disasters required a coordinated national response that combines emergency relief with long-term rehabilitation, ecological restoration and reconstruction of critical infrastructure.
Leading the motion on the situation in Anambra State, Senator Victor Umeh raised concerns over deaths, displacement and the destruction of homes, roads, farmlands and other infrastructure in several communities.
Umeh said at least four persons, including a pregnant woman and a six-year-old pupil of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Primary School, Awka, had died in the disasters, while several families were displaced and homes submerged.
He identified Ogidi, Obosi and Awka among the affected communities and drew attention to deepening erosion gullies, including one reportedly measuring more than 60 metres in depth.
According to him, the destruction had disrupted access to schools and other important locations while forcing residents to abandon their homes and ancestral communities.
Umeh called for urgent federal intervention through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Ecological Fund Office.
He also urged the Federal Ministry of Works to urgently assess and reconstruct damaged roads, particularly the Onitsha-Ogidi-Awka federal road, where flooding had disrupted vehicular movement and economic activities.
Seconding the motion, Senator Anthony Ani, representing Ebonyi South, drew attention to flash floods that ravaged communities across his senatorial district in late September.
Ani said torrential rainfall caused rivers to overflow their banks, submerging residential, commercial and agricultural areas and destroying homes, household property, farmlands, crops and livestock.
“Most of the crops were destroyed. Many livestock in the households were equally destroyed. And so their lives are put into danger,” Ani said.
He urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to assess the destruction and provide emergency assistance to affected farmers.
Ani also called for legislative oversight to ensure that NEMA complied with the Senate’s directive to provide relief materials to victims.
Similarly, Senator Osita Izunaso raised concerns over persistent flooding and erosion across communities in Imo West Senatorial District, noting that he had previously brought the issue before the Senate in 2023.
Izunaso listed Urualla, Obodoukwu, Osina, Abolo, Imo Chima, Imo Eshi, Ise Kenesi, Oso Obodo, Oguta Amishi, Nnefuku and Nkosi among the affected communities across Ideato North, Ideato South and Oguta local government areas.
He said the disasters had continued to destroy homes, businesses, farmlands and roads, leaving motorists and pedestrians exposed to dangerous conditions.
“The resulting erosion has washed away roads and also created dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians, with accidents and loss of life repeatedly occurring in some affected areas,” Izunaso said.
He called for immediate intervention by NEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Ministry of Works and other relevant agencies to provide relief, rehabilitate damaged roads, improve drainage and implement effective erosion-control measures.
Izunaso also advocated a coordinated, long-term rehabilitation and ecological restoration programme backed by federal funding to address the recurring disasters and protect vulnerable communities.
The Senate’s intervention seeks to broaden the response from emergency relief to systematic assessment, reconstruction and environmental restoration, as flooding and erosion continue to threaten communities, infrastructure and livelihoods.
The lawmakers also observed a minute’s silence in honour of those who lost their lives in the disasters.
