Residents living around the coastal line in Delta State have been warned to relocate, to avoid being enveloped by the impending flood.
This warning is coming from the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro, who was reacting to the Federal Government flood alert that coastal states would witness flooding as a result of the gradual release of excess water from Lagdo dam in Cameroon.
Mr Otuaro said that the relocation was necessary to avoid recording high level of casualty when the flood sets in, emphasizing that the state was able to evacuate people to internally displaced person’s camps in 2012 because they yielded to the timely warning by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET.
The Deputy Governor expressed worry with the way some people erect structures on waterways and canals, thereby blocking the waters from flowing into its route.
He advised owners of public and private buildings to embark on clearing of their surroundings and gutters as a deliberate effort to promote good health.
The Deputy Governor equally called on traditional rulers and opinion leaders to assist government to enlighten their people about the impending flood and the need to keep their environment clean to avoid outbreak of diseases like malaria and cholera.
He said that government was committed to the fight against environmental degradation and anything capable of exposing the state to environmental hazard.
