- Flood destroys over N50million property, traders count losses
- Govt contractors’ negligence caused disaster – NEMA
A deluge of rain and rising floodwaters experienced in the past two weeks has left much of Owerri, the Imo State capital, immersed and buried.
Anxiety that something unpleasant will happen now grips residents of the state each time the clouds gather, especially following the havoc caused by last week’s 12-hour downpour, which displaced over 3,200 people from their homes. Infact, most parts of the state have been submerged by floods following heavy downpour in the past two weeks.
Sadly, property worth over N50million has been destroyed in the flooding, which took over people’s homes in areas such as Federal Housing, Egbu Road in Owerri North Local Government Area and World Bank Estate.
Most streets in the city are also flooded each time it rains, making the roads impassable for both commuters and vehicles.
The people are now more worried as the rain continued during the weekend, causing panic among residents, particularly those whose homes are close to drainage channels and river banks.
The main reason why we have continued to have constant flooding in the state capital and its environs is that most of the drainages have been blocked as a result of the road expansion embarked upon by the government
Govt contractors’ negligence
Investigations revealed that the state government’s Urban Renewal Programme is largely responsible for the destruction being caused by the flood as the central drainage system, which connects the popular Otamiri River in the state, cannot empty into the river each time it rains due to blockage by waste.
Much of the garbage, it was gathered, is from the structures demolished in the ongoing construction work embarked upon by the government in various parts of the state. Also human activities such as the littering of the drainages with ‘pure water’ sachets made it impossible for the blocked drainage channels to flow freely and in turn causing buildings and vehicles to be submerged in the flood.
Residents affected by this disaster have heaped the blame on the government as the incident has been described as the worst flooding experienced in the state capital in recent times. Many residents have been sacked from their houses by the flood, which continued during last week. Even the perimeter fences of some of the affected houses gave way and collapsed due to the surge from the raging floods.
“The main reason why we have continued to have constant flooding in the state capital and its environs is that most of the drainages have been blocked as a result of the road expansion embarked upon by the state government, and if nothing is done, the issue of flooding will become worse in the coming years, because as you know, Owerri is in a valley,” a resident, John Ugochukwu, said.
Havoc caused by the deluge
The flood also proved to be no respecter of persons as it affected the Bishop’s Court, the official residence of the Anglican Bishop of Egbu Diocese and equally sacked students of the Federal Government Girls College, Owerri, along Okigwe Road, from their school and hostels.
The worst hit areas include the Federal Housing Estate at Trans- Egbu, the Works Layout, New Owerri, World Bank and Orji, Amakaohia, Akwakuma, Umuguma Housing areas, dislodging over 100 families from their homes. Even the major roads in Owerri metropolis were taken over by the flood as motorists, who dared the rains, got stuck in the flood with their vehicles.
Residents of these areas were also observed either trapped inside their flooded compounds and waiting for the high water level to subside, or battling to salvage some valuables from being destroyed.
Residents recount experience, count losses
A resident, Obinna Akuwudike, who lives at the Federal Housing Estate, Trans- Egbu, told our correspondent that the recent flood was the worst experience they had had in the past five years as his house and those of his neighbours were virtually submerged by the water.
He alleged that the problem of flooding in the area began in 2012, but got worse two years ago, when the state government contractors blocked the main drainage channel at Chukwuma Nwoha area, resulting in the estate being submerged by flood anytime it rained heavily.
“About 20 houses were submerged in this estate with millions of naira worth of property lost to the flood, as a result of the heavy rains. We have complained several times to the government about this ugly development, but nothing has been done about it,” he said.
Another resident of the area, Frank Nworlu, who suffered some losses in the disaster said that the flood had destroyed all his property, adding that it pulled down the walls of his kitchen, toilet and part of the fence.
Nworlu regretted that with the force with which the flood forced its way into the houses in the area, it became difficult for him to salvage any of his property as even his neighbors were equally affected.
He recalled that when the flooding began around midnight, many residents had to climb up the fences of their houses to avoid being drowned or electrocuted as many of their electronic gadgets like television, stabilizer and handsets were still connected to electricity as at the time the rain began to fall.
For Yemi Bamidele, a student of the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, who lives in Amakaohia, it was a tale of woes, lamenting that the flood, which was caused by the heavy rains, did not only sack her and her roommates from their house, but also damaged all their personal belongings, including textbooks.
“Since I came to Owerri I have never experienced this kind of flooding. We could not salvage anything from our rooms, including our books and other valuables, because our compound was completely overtaken by the flood,” she said.
Also, electronic dealers within the Umuguma axis of Owerri, the state capital, are still counting their losses as the flood of Thursday, last week, destroyed a lot of their wares kept in their lock-up shops.
One of the traders, Nwabueze Uche, said that the flood had rendered him bankrupt as all his goods were destroyed by the flood, which took over his shop.
While calling on the state and Federal governments to come to their aid, the residents urged Governor Rochas Okorocha to order the reopening of all the blocked drainage channels to forestall the occurrence of such large scale destruction of property by flood in future.
NEMA blames Imo govt
Reacting, the National Emergency Management Agency said that no fewer than 3200 persons were affected and property worth over N50 million was destroyed in the incident at the Federal Housing Estate, Egbu.
NEMA, however, blamed the flood incident in the state on the ongoing Urban Renewal Programme of the Imo government.
NEMA Coordinator in the state, Evans Ugoh, explained that contractors working on various sites had destroyed the central drainage system, which he said was connected to empty into the popular Otamiri and Nworie rivers in the state.
Ugoh said the waterways were disorganised such that the flood eventually found its way to neighbourhoods, where so many houses were submerged.
NEMA regretted that contractors working at various sites in the ongoing urban renewal programme of the Governor Rochas Okorocha-led administration have caused more harm than good.
“The drainages are gone and most houses are built on waterways. So, we will continue to have this problems until the anomalies are corrected”, he said.
While calling for the removal of buildings erected on drainage lines and waterways, Ugoh also advised the government to ensure close monitoring of contractors working at various sites, who he said should be mandated to properly channel water.
The NEMA coordinator, however, disclosed that the agency would make necessary interventions and offer relief materials to victims as soon as it took delivery of the necessary materials.
Govt officials keep mum
The Personal Secretary to the Governor, Pascal Obi, declined to comment on the disaster as he told our correspondent that he was away in the United States.
Further efforts made to get the reaction of the state government failed as Governor Okorocha has yet to reconstitute his
cabinet, which he dissolved over two months ago.
