Health
Enugu flood kills two children, submerges 14 villages
Raphael Ede
Two children have died, and 14 villages have been submerged following devastating flooding in Mpu and Okpanku communities in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The flood, which began on the evening of Sunday, intensified on Tuesday and Wednesday after more than 48 hours of heavy rainfall, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and property to safer locations.
The victims, two brothers aged seven and eight, were reportedly swept away by the floodwaters two days before the situation worsened.
More than 10 buildings have reportedly collapsed, while extensive farmlands, including rice and yam farms, have been submerged. Several shops at Afor Okpanku Market, including rice mills, have also remained underwater for two days.
The popular Ivo Bridge has been overtaken by floodwaters, cutting off communities and making movement between Mpu and Okpanku difficult.
As of Wednesday afternoon, rainfall was still being recorded in the area, while the floodwaters continued to rise and spread into residential areas.
‘I have never seen this kind of flood,’ the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Enugu State Council, and a native of Mpu, Comrade Obinna Ogbuke, described the situation.
Ogbuke said eight villages in Okpanku and six in Mpu had been affected, with several houses submerged.
“In my community, Mpu, and the Okpanku community in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, I’ve never witnessed this kind of high level of flooding before. It’s so bad, so devastating,” he said.
He added that more than 10 buildings had collapsed after the flood persisted for about 48 hours.
“The road leading from Mpu to Okpanku has been cut off, and the popular Ivo Bridge has been taken over by flood. Three villages in Okpanku cannot access the other part of the town.
“Mpu people can no longer cross to Okpanku, and Okpanku people cannot cross to Mpu,” Ogbuke stated.
He said officials of the National Emergency Management Agency and the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, who visited the area, were also unable to cross some affected sections.
Ogbuke added that the Aninri Local Government Chairman, Prince Ugochukwu Nwanjoku, also visited the area but could not cross from Mpu to Okpanku.
According to him, residents of some affected communities have taken refuge in public buildings and places of worship.
He said some displaced residents from Mpu were staying at Amachara Town Hall, while residents of Ukey Mpu had taken shelter at the Ukwu Primary School. Those displaced in Amiyi Okpanku were reportedly staying at a Methodist Church.
“The water is not receding, and the people need urgent attention. All hands have to be on deck. It’s an emergency that needs a very serious intervention; if not, we may begin to lose more people,” he warned.
However, Ogbuke confirmed that two children had died after being swept away by the flood.
“The two little kids—one is seven, the other one, his brother, is eight. That was two days ago, before it got to this level,” he said.
Another report from the affected area said a child from Obiagu Okomigbo in Mpu had also drowned in the flood.
However, the identity and circumstances surrounding the reported death had yet to be formally confirmed by the relevant authorities as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the youth leader of Okpanku community, George Ahaefuna, said the flood had destroyed crops cultivated by residents throughout the year.
“Since I was born, I have never seen this kind of flood in my life. The flood has destroyed all we have laboured for this year. It has destroyed our crops, our rice and yam farms worth millions of naira,” he said.
Ahaefuna appealed to the Federal Government, Enugu State Government, Aninri Local Government Council, NEMA and SEMA to intervene urgently.
A shop owner at Afor Okpanku Market also said goods worth millions of naira had been submerged for two days.
Describing the development as the worst flooding she had witnessed in the community, the trader appealed to the government and other stakeholders to assist residents whose homes had been destroyed.
She said, “If the overflow of the water allows you to go inside the villages, you will see houses destroyed by the flood.”
The councillor representing the Mpu Ward, Edwin Ogbuka, described the situation as life-threatening and called for urgent intervention.
He attributed the flooding to the overflow of water from the abandoned Ivo Dam project.
A community leader in Mpu, Mr Magnus Chukwu, also said six villages in the community had been displaced, with affected families taking shelter at Amachalla Town School.
The latest flooding has renewed concerns over the long-running Ivo River Dam project, which residents have previously linked to flooding in Mpu and Okpanku.
The Federal Government’s official dam profile lists the Ivo River Dam as a 20-million-cubic-metre earthfill dam in Aninri, Enugu State, under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. The project is classified as ongoing.
There is also a documented history of concerns about flooding around the project.
In 2023, the House of Representatives noted that Mpu and Okpanku were downstream of the dam and called for its completion.
Proceedings of the House in October 2024 also recorded concerns that the reservoir could overflow during the rainy season and that the incomplete spillway had contributed to flooding in surrounding communities.
A 2024 investigation further reported repeated flooding affecting farms and communities around Mpu and Okpanku, with residents attributing the problem to the incomplete dam infrastructure.
Ogbuke blamed the latest flooding on the abandoned project.
“I can attribute the cause of this devastating flood to the abandoned Ivo Dam project by the Federal Government. The way they cleared that project and abandoned it, it’s a death trap. It’s a risk. And then now we are seeing the effect,” he said.
According to him, the flood has increasingly spread from farmlands into residential areas.
“Last year, it covered hectares of farmland and came close to residential areas. This year, it’s more. They have covered more hectares again, and this time around, it’s residential areas. That’s why you are seeing buildings collapsing and villages where people are living being taken over by water,” he said.
Residents said Okpanku had experienced major flooding in 1939 and 1965, with the latest incident marking another major episode.
The Aninri Local Government Chairman, Prince Ugochukwu Nwanjoku, said he had contacted Senator Osita Ngwu and the member representing the area in the House of Representatives, Anayo Onwuegbu, over the flooding.
Nwanjoku said he had shared photographs of the affected communities, including Ihube and Ihuezeoke in Okpanku, with the lawmakers.
According to him, Senator Ngwu had commenced discussions with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources on the emergency.
He added that he had also discussed the concerns surrounding the Ivo Dam reservoir with Onwuegbu, with plans being considered for an inspection of the affected areas.
“This is practically unacceptable. What a loss!” the chairman said.
Nwanjoku said a joint inspection of the affected communities was expected after the election to assess the extent of the damage and explore measures to address the recurring flooding.
The latest disaster has left residents facing the loss of homes, farms, businesses and livelihoods, while displaced families seek shelter in schools, town halls and religious centres.
With the rains continuing and the floodwaters yet to recede, residents and community leaders are calling for immediate evacuation assistance, relief materials, assessment of damaged properties and urgent intervention to prevent further loss of lives.
Copyright PUNCH
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]