Stakeholders fear likely outbreak of diseases in flood-affected communities in Anambra

Stakeholders in Anambra State have expressed fears about the likely outbreak of diseases in communities affected by flood as displaced persons return to their homes.

Members of various communities in Awka North, one of the affected local government areas of the state, stated this during a meeting of UNICEF officials with stakeholders of flood-affected areas for the implementation of the post-flood intervention.

Enugu Field Office WASH Specialist, Mr. Timi Kiabuku, who led UNICEF officials to the meeting said: “The ongoing UNICEF response to the Anambra flood emergency is with funding from United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and UNICEF’s response will focus on three sectors – Child Protection, Health and WASH.”

Also, the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Consultant (Enugu office), Mr Andy Nwanze in his address said it organized the meeting to see how the organization can support those affected by the 2022 flood, especially now that the flood have receded, and the victims are going back to their homes.

“We are here to find out what happened during the flood, and how we can intervene, to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.

“What we learnt was that everything has collapsed, including residences, schools, hospitals and other, but we are more concerned about the contamination that their water has undergone, and the outbreak of any diseases and how such can be prevented