LAGOS MAY 23RD (URHOBOTODAY)-Terrible flood menace currently ravaging some parts of Delta State including Agbor, Ughelli, Isoko South, and North communities has wreaked disasters in the area.
Investigation revealed that over 68 houses within the affected communities have caved in with its farms’ crops destroyed in sweeping ravaging flood menace especially when it rains in the area.
Some of residents of these worse hit communities, one of them Obaro Hyacinth, who spoke to our correspondent in Agbor town, said: “We are suffering seriously here in Agbor metropolis, particularly when it rains heavily and we have lost many of our properties to the flood menace with several houses destroyed and our farm crops worth millions of naira have been destroyed in the erosion challenged areas in the state.
We have no food to eat again because of the erosion challenge that had eaten deep in some parts of the state. We are appealing to state and federal governments to come to our aid”.
The state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, had last weekend lamented the havoc wreaked by the erosion menace in the affected areas especially in some parts of Agbor, Abavo, Isoko South and North Local Government Areas of the state where the situations are worse hit during rainfall, adding that “We cannot solve the problem alone as a government because the problem will consume over N150 billion that will help to tackle the challenges that had also pulled down several houses in the areas”.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who spoke to journalists in Government House, explained that his administration had done a lot in the area of infrastructural development, adding that the state government had also tackled the erosion challenge in Asaba and its environs, especially in Achalli Ibusa Community where many of its residents were reported to have abandoned their houses.
Further investigation revealed that whenever it rains heavily, these worse hit areas suffer untold hardship as residents cannot step out of their houses.
Residents of Ugwhe, Otovwodo in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state are currently apprehensive over the havoc the rains have wreaked on their properties among others following the alleged abandoned road project awarded by the Niger Development Commission (NDDC) over five years ago.
But speaking with our correspondent on the dangers of the abandoned road project, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ughelli North chapter, Apostle Charles Okpacha, said that the road was allegedly awarded to an unknown contractor by NDDC over two years ago, adding that the contractor didn’t erect any sign post but just told them that the project was awarded to him and however commenced excavation work only to have it abandoned.
He said: “The self-acclaimed contractor whom we don’t know came to us about two years ago that our roads were awarded to him by NDDC few days. Later, we saw excavation work going on. After that we didn’t not see him again.
He didn’t erect any sign post on the streets. If you look at the flood is coming over fast again. We are full of fear.
We therefore appeal to the Delta State Government to come and help us from this danger and if NDDC actually awarded the contract, the Commission should help us to prevail on the contractor to come to our aid”.
One of the landlords in Isoko South, North communities, Mr. Believe Eyamumu, who spoke to our correspondent, said that the continuous flooding in the areas had caused so much health hazard to residents of the area just as he noted that the pool of water had become breeding ground for mosquitoes that had also unsettled the residents among others in the community in the last few years.
Only recently, Ozoro community was flooded and all the roads blocked after heavy rainfall as well as properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
Daily Times