Maduka Nweke
For fear that the flood that ravaged various communities in the country may have burrowed and eaten into the foundation of buildings in the flood prone areas, experts in the built industries have advocated outright demolition of such buildings and embark on total reconstruction.
One of the experts, Arc. Daniel Onwugbesan said after the floods, a lot of buildings’ foundations are weakened. And the best bet for such buildings is the deconstruct them and rebuild the foundation otherwise the houses will collapse when they are least expected.
Onwugbesan who was reacting to palliatives given to victims of flooding in their various locations of Internally Displaced Persons’ camps, (IDPCs) said that the only palliative that will help the people is the one that can help them to rebuild their houses.
He said that without making them rebuild their homes, no amount of help they are given will go down well with them.
“The main damage from flooding comes from the impact of rapid moving waters to your home. Flooding pushes the sides of your home, weakening your house’s structure and at times separating it from your foundation.
Additionally, flooding penetrates deep into the earth causing severe damage. Foundation pilings that aren’t penetrating load-bearing strata can move, break, and shift due to flooding, causing intense foundational and structural damage, “he said.
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According to Onwugbesan, we are aware that the interest of United Nations (UN)in Southern Sudan was not mainly to give the food. UN in the Southern Sudan said that the most important to them is that the government resettle displaced families across the country as the situation is improving. He said that focus of the IDPs would be how to rehabilitate them after the loos.
David Shearer, Rep. of UN in South Sudan made the remarks after UNMISS recently relocated 3500 IDPs from the Protection of Civilians’ site in Juba to Mangateen.
“People came into the protection of civilians’ sites because they felt their lives were at risk. As the situation improves and as the peace process evolves, the situation is changing,” he said.
He suggested that the voluntary relocation was done after fighting erupted between two groups at the POC site in which five people were reportedly killed and nearly 200 others wounded.Another respondent who spoke to
Daily Sun on the same issue, Mr. Ambrose Orasanya, an interim decorator stated that it does not start and end on providing food the Displaced. He said that although, displaced persons need money to buy some things they need, their most need is to give them the house to cover their heads.
He sighted example with when federal government recently directed that about 6,000 bags of rice seized from smugglers by the Katsina/Kaduna customs area command be sent to the Internally Displace Persons (IDPs) in the North East.
Kayode Olusemire, Area Controller of the command, who disclosed this, noted that already about 808 bales of seized second hand clothes have been released last April also to the IDP’s. “Government when they want to help should help people where the help should be meaningful.
When you give someone something he doesn’t value, he will accept it but he may not value it. On the other hand, if you want to help someone and you give him something tangible, the person will continue to live in it. This is the kind of gift people really value and cheris,” he said.
