Several households have been forced to vacate their homes because of flooding caused by a downpour in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The heavy rains, which started on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, also destroyed farmlands.

Assessing the extent of the damage in parts of Calabar South, the Director-General of Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Princewill Ayim, said most of the houses affected were erected along the waterways.

Ayim said that the flood affected parts of Calabar South, including Target, Ebito, Atu, Musaha and Murray Streets, among others, including farmlands at Anantigha.

He said residents of the affected areas had been temporarily displaced from their homes due to the flood.

According to him, the agency has continued to sensitise the people on the need to shun erecting of buildings along the waterways.

He said that although no life was lost in the flood, economic and farming activities had been affected and property worth millions of Naira destroyed.

“The heavy rains that fell between last night and the early hours of today have caused havoc in parts of Calabar South.

“Over 20 houses were flooded and property worth millions of Naira destroyed.

“At Anantigha Street, in Calabar South, over 5 farmlands were destroyed by the flood and the farmers can no longer harvest their crops because most of the crops, such as maize and cassava, were uprooted by the flood prematurely.

“Also, the flood had caused an artificial lake behind the Anantigha Market and over 15 houses are said to be in danger because the scope of the artificial lake is expanding every time it rains heavily.

“I want to appeal to the Federal Government, the National Emergency Management Agency and other relevant government agencies to intervene in this artificial lake by constructing standard drainages to direct the water ways,” he said.

The DG advised people living in the affected areas to relocate to higher ground for safety, adding that with the heavy rains been witnessed in the state, the flood was expected to be on the increase. (The Nation)