Massive cleanup of the seven local government areas in Anambra State that will be affected by the flood threat in 2022 has already started, and the communities that will benefit from it have praised the Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and UNICEF for funding the programme.
The impacted local government areas, namely Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ogbaru, Ayamelum, and Awka North are all experiencing the exercise at the same time.
Recall that whereas the other local governments in the state were only partially affected by the storm, Anambra West and Ogbaru were completely submerged.
The state coordinator and hygiene officer of Anambra State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency, RUWASA, Dr. Rose Amasiani said UNICEF accessed the funds from SIDA and CERF for the programme.
Amasianu, who is the leading staff of RUWASA for the cleanup said that since the 2022 flood, several activities were lined up to cushion the effect of the menace in the affected areas.
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She said: “UNICEF and the funding agencies namely, SIDA and CERF, provided the resources for the rescue operation. Most people in these local government areas suffered so much material and economic losses, including farmlands, houses, and public infrastructure.
“These international organizations stepped in through the state water, sanitation, and hygiene, WASH, to improve the standard of the environment in the affected areas.
“So far, the donor agencies have rehabilitated several water facilities and constructed new boreholes and sanitation facilities in schools and primary healthcare centres. They even rehabilitated private water facilities because they were also contaminated during the flood.
“What they are currently doing is total cleanup of the environment because the flood brought so much waste that entered people’s homes, schools and health facilities and even blocked drainages, which posed enormous dangers for human existence. We are happy that the exercise is bringing back normalcy in the communities”.
She explained that to fastrack the work, youth, women, and community leadership groups in the communities were mobilized for the operation, adding that after the clean-up, contractors would be used to fumigate the communities so that the people could live in good sanitation and hygienic environment. “Anytime we enter the communities, the happiness of the people know no bounds as they dance and cheer UNICEF, SIDA, and CERF for putting smiles on their faces”, Amasianu said.
Story adapted from Vanguard
