Vehicles struggling in the flood
The heavy rainfall that swept across major towns in Anambra State on Tuesday submerged an estimated 2,000 buildings in the commercial town of Onitsha. The flood also reportedly affected other major markets in the state, it was gathered.
NewsBits learnt that the flood, which cut off major roads and vehicles in Onitsha, also swept away goods of traders at the main market, Ochanja market, and Oye-Agu Abagana markets, respectively, while vehicles were stuck for several hours far into the night as commuters were said to have bemoaned their ordeal.
Also, the flood carried large supply of debris from the upper part of Onitsha to the lower plane heading towards the River Niger only to hang up at blocked water channels. But Governor Charles Soludo has ordered the relevant departments and his Aides to commence work in Onitsha and make a proper assessment of the remote and immediate causes.
In compliance to the governor’s order, the Secretary of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Mr Paul Onuachala, who inspected the area, said that the flood was caused by “blocked water channels being perpetrated by residents of the town who empty their wastes into the drains, thereby blocking the flow of water.”
Onuachala, however, announced that a fifty-year-old bridge with narrow water channels was the cause of the flood, announcing that “the bridge is currently being demolished, and a new one is being constructed,” as well as widening the water channels.
He said, “The thing actually harvested a lot of waste along that line and automatically blocks the water channels.”
“Towards Genis bread side, there is a culvert there that was equally blocked, and that also contributed to what is happening.”
“We are demolishing the bridge, and we are constructing a new bridge along Genis bread that would empty into the River Niger and that will empty the Ochanga and lower part of that area quicker.
“We are going to widen the water channel to accommodate water and flood during this rainy season. These flood carrying debris from the upper part of Onitsha a d given our topography it follows from upper Onitsha down to the lower part of Onitsha to the River Niger”
“This is an old bridge because by the time the bridge was constructed, the population of Onitsha was not the same as the population that we have now, and that bridge was constructed about fifty years ago.”
Commenting on the flood disaster, the Anambra Commissioner for Environment, Engr Felix Odumegwu said that the “Ministry is working with the Ministry of Works as well as the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra aka OCHA Brigade” to address the situation and ensure a permanent solution to the problem.
“We have contacted the Commissioner for Works, and we are carrying out the desilting of the drains. When the rain sets in, the first few rains present this type of difficulty sometimes because of some areas where there are blockages, but along the line, it would ease off after identifying the areas that we have problems and taking care of them.
“Since February we have been announcing to people to start desilting their drains because of the coming rains and we set out a deadline and the OCHA brigade has been mandated to carry out enforcements but we are gout around and you noticed that yesterday we were on the streets and all efforts are being made to ensure that we do not witness this kind of thing again”
“Any man-made causes of flooding will not happen, and we are taking proactive measures in that area. We are aware of the fact that there would be flooding this year, and we have been carrying out sensitization campaigns in the targeted areas, and as a government, we are on top of the situation,” he said.
