Respite has come the way of residents of Ughelli, Warri, Effurum, Sapele and Asaba, Delta State, who usually dread the rainy season.
Before now, residents of these towns had tales of woes as a result of the devastating flood that has wreaked havoc, with the resultant loss of lives and destruction of properties worth several millions of naira.
The situation was worsened by poor sanitary habits of residents, topography of the land and indiscrimate approval of buildings.
Areas like Okoribi, Ughelli in Urvwie local council, Okumagba Avenue, Warri, Ogboru Street and the Ajimele Village Reclamation Road, amongst others, have in the last few years, been prone to heavy flooding.
In some streets in Sapele and Warri, many houses and vehicles have been submerged in years gone by before the state government intervened by clearing blocked drains and canals.
Through its Ministry of Environment, the state government deployed many swamp bogeys to Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, Effurum and Asaba, the state capital to clear the drains and de-silt canals to ensure easier flow of water into the Warri, Ethiope and Odun rivers.
Now in its second phase, the project include the construction of canals and drains in major streets, building of setbacks around the waterways in the five cities, in addition to the procurement of 100 waste bins.
According to the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Frank Omare, the state government has so far spent over N3billion on the project.
He said, “In collaboration with the local councils, the state government has started the construction of street drains and clearing of refuse in the major cities. We have also acquired a dumpsite in Sapele to tackle the problem of refuse disposal.
Speaking further, Omare disclosed that the contract sum for the work at Okoribi in Urvwie local council, Warri South and Ughelli is N1.9 billion, with 50 percent of it paid to the contractor, while the project is 60 percent near completion.
One man who is excited about the efforts of the Emmanuel Uduaghan-led administration to solve the problem of flooding in the state is the Head of Personnel Management of Sapele local council area, Comrade Olumomi Oyibo.
The council chief said before the intervention of the government, economic and social activities have been grounded to a halt in Sapele and its environs.
He added, “Sapele residents are now happy; last year, there were several cases of drowning but not anymore.” On the issue of waste disposal, Oyibo revealed that the council has outlawed all refuse dumps that common sight in the metropolis.
For the chairman of Efemaz Construction & Engineering Ltd, Efe-Micheal Udumebraye, one of the contractors handling the project, the firm has been enjoying the cooperation of residents in Ughelli in discharging its duties. He appealed to residents to desist from dumping refuse into canals and drains.
Also speaking to newsmen, a resident of Warri, Pa Joshua, who lost a section of his house to the exercise to clear the canal, however, commended the state government for coming to the aid of the residents to check flooding.
The octogenarian, who turns 81 this month, advised the government to clear McDermott road near the bridge. He also urged the government to embark on the piling of the cleared water channels and drains to prevent residents from dumping refuse into them.
On the issue of indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the canals and building of houses on waterways, the Commissioner for Environment said the state government, had in its proposed 2013 budget, made provision for guide gates to stop encroachment on the cleared drains.
He also said government is planning a public behaviour bill, which will be presented to the state House of Assembly. The bill, when passed into law, will criminalise all manners of indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and canals and also ensure attitudinal change on the part of residents.
Omare added, “all the projects will be completed the next rainy season; we will also embark on massive demolition of structures encroaching on the waterways even if they have approvals. There will be no sacred cow.”
