Three years after an early evening downpour triggered a devastating flood in Ibadan and some other communities in Oyo State, killing no fewer than 100 residents and destroying infrastructure, the state government has rebuilt some of the damaged bridges, bringing great relief to motorists and residents of the affected areas. BISI OLADELE reports.
August 26, 2011 was a day nobody in Ibadan and some communities outside the Oyo State capital would forget in a hurry.
Just as it was in August 1980 with the Omiyale flood disaster, the heavens opened on the ancient city on that day and rained sorrows, tears and blood.
At the end of over seven-hour downpour which triggered heavy flooding particularly, in Ibadan, many people were swept away along with several bridges and vehicles.
The rain had started like a drizzle. It showered and gradually developed into a torrent pouring for several hours, trapping many commuters, shop owners and occupants of some building either constructed near flood planes or standing right on flood paths.
According to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, the rain measured 187.5mm and lasted for seven and a half hours.
In Ibadan, the areas flooded include Onipepeye, Odo-Ona Elewe, Odo Ona Apata, NIHORT, Ijokodo, Sango, Apete, Ajibode, Orogun, Agbowo, old Bodija, Ikolaba, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Fatusi Ogbere, Olodo Kumapayi, University of Ibadan, Eleyele Waterworks and Oluyole Estate. A few bridges were also washed away in Oyo town.
According to the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo, the flood was caused by several factors including indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainages, development of structures along flood plains, climate change and effects of global warming.
Adedayo recalled that the government immediately after the havoc ordered weekly environmental sanitation exercise to aid cleaning of the city. He also disclosed that government took several other actions to mitigate the effects of the flood and prevent a recurrence. Apart from the palliatives to the victims, concrete steps were taken by government to reconstruct the damaged bridges to bring relief to both the residents and motorists in the affected areas.
Besides, the government constructed temporary pedestrian bridges to reconnect cut-off communities in Apete and Ayegun communities, cleared blocked drains, expanded and de-silted streams like the Ona River that runs through the metropolis.
Adedayo added that “contracts were awarded for the reconstruction of the major bridges and roads affected during the flood and many of them have been completed or at advanced stages of completion.” The bridges include the ones at “Apete, Secretariat-Bodija, Olomi, Ogbere. Works have also been completed on damaged bridges and roads such as Agbongbon Bridge, Simeon Adebo\Davies Hotel/Blessed Water Road, Simeon Adebo/Adeyi, Awolowo Road, Orita Aperin/Omowumi/Olorunsogo Bridge, Failed portion opposite Orogun Junction, along U.I/Ojoo Road, Mokola/Cele/Barrack Junction Road/Bridge, Salami Estate/Bodija Road, Ona River at Olubadan Avenue, Oluyole Estate.”
The state’s spokesman also added that government embarked on demolition of structures erected on statutory set-backs, pointing out that over 60 houses on flood plains have been demolished and that more are still slated for demolition.
When The Nation went round the city, so many of the bridges have been reconstructed while pedestrian bridges have been built in areas where new bridges are being built or where the problem is less severe.
The state government disclosed that due to heavy financial burden of reconstructing the bridges and other infrastructures, it started with the most critical ones. These include the multi-million naira Bodija Bridge christened ‘Restoration Bridge’, Ayeye Bridge, Ogbere Babanla Bridge, Olunde Bridge and the Simeon Adebo/Adeyi Bridge, among others.
The Ogbere Babanla bridge was one of the bridges whose collapse brought untold hardship to residents of the area. The densely populated area, which extends to Ibadan airport was almost practically cut off from the rest of the city but for the Old Ife Road route which served as a painful escape route. Commercial bus drivers on the route who had no other route to ply, suffered the bridge collapse most.
The Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ogbere branch, Alhaji Rafiu Mustapha told The Nation that commercial drivers on the route went on forced holiday immediately after the bridge collapsed. He recalled that even in the period of the old bridge, residents and drivers used to face hectic time navigating through the bridge whenever it rained because flood used to overflow the bridge.
He said: “It was a big problem for us because all our business went down, and we were not having income like before. When the bridge collapsed during the Ramadan season three years ago, we could not go home that day and had to sleep inside this shop. It was in my presence that three people were swept away by the flood on the bridge.
“The old bridge was small and low. Every little rain led to flood that used to cover the bridge, thereby creating heavy traffic on the route.”
But Alhaji Mustapha is very happy with the new bridge constructed by the state government.
“We are grateful to Governor Abiola Ajimobi because he is a listening governor. Despite the fact that this road is a federal road, immediately he heard about the collapsed bridge, they started work on it and since its completion we have not heard of flood sweeping anybody away again.
“The bridge is of high standard when compared to the former one. The difference between the former one and this one is that this new one is very tall and the river has also been dredged. Before, flood used to overflow the former bridge but now it doesn’t and flood doesn’t sweep people away again.
“The new bridge has brought about a great relief to us and now our businesses are moving on smoothly. ýWe are very grateful to the Oyo State Government. We are also using this medium to appeal to them to assist us to rehabilitate this road down to Idi-Obi.”
At Bodija, where the Restoration Bridge, is sitting strong, residents applauded government’s efforts, saying it has improved economic activities in the area in a large measure.
On the former bridge, a shop owner at the nearby shopping complex Mr Michael Ajibade, said: “The former bridge was nothing to write home about. Anytime it rained heavily, people around were, often times, in a big problem because flood would definitely enter their compounds and destroy their property. Flood also swept cars off the road into the stream. Flood used to overflow the bridge. Often times, people found alternative routes.”
Ajibade said the new bridge is a very strong one with good height which makes it difficult for flood to overflow it.
“The new bridge has eased traffic and since the construction of the bridge we have not experienced such problem as we use to experience. Since there is free flow of traffic, there have been changes. I can say that in the days of the other bridge people found it difficult to drive into the complex but now since the road is good the excuse is no more there. The traffic towards this end is heavy which has affected the business positively.” He said.
The Chairman, Ajibode Unit of the NURTW, Mr Muritala Isola, also explained that the old bridge was a disaster. He recalled times when they had to stay at home for days, and even up to one month when flood overran the old bridge.
“The old bridge used to give us loads of problems every time it rained twice or more successively. Both vehicles and commercial motorcycles would be unable to pass. By this, we would stay at home until the flood goes down. There was a time we stayed at home for one month when it rained for days non-stop. It was terrible.
But residents used alternative routes inside the University of Ibadan. Those with cars used to take the Apete route because the bridge was still good then.
“But now we are enjoying the bridge. The government constructed a very solid bridge and it is so tall, no flood can overrun it. We really commend them. The new bridge now enhances our operations as all commercial drivers now drive freely. We are reaping the full potential of the route. We thank the government for this good job.”
In Oyo town, Alaadorin and Sanga bridges have been reconstructed while Osoro bridge was also reconstructed in Saki.
Overall, the reconstructed bridges have breathed life back to economic activities in all the affected areas while government continues efforts to attend to the rest.
To prevent a recurrence of the tragedy, Adedayo said enforcement of rules and regulations on compliance with environment laws was being vigorously pursued.
Taking proactive measures to forestall a recurrence, he said: “Government came back aftermath that devastating flood to the drawing table. It immediately set up a panel to look into the overt and covert causes of the flood, with a view to recommending appropriate solutions. That panel came out with the list of a total of about 2500 houses which it recommended for demolition. But after a critical look by government, being a humane one, the number was reviewed downwards, with the belief that massive dredging of rivers and streams, as well as construction of bridges across the state would ameliorate the situation. This we did and we thank God that the result is what we have now – a great reduction in the destructive powers of the flood.
“Government also engaged in massive sensitization measures, especially with the residents and stakeholders of flood-prone areas on one-on-one basis, as well as on the radio and television.
Part of the pro-active measures government took was to work in partnership with the World Bank.
“Because the task of reconstructing these bridges is so massive and is beyond the state government alone, immediately after the 2011flood, the governor met with officials of the World Bank upon which the bank sent its representatives to the state for an assessment. The report has culminated in the bank, with the support of the Federal Ministry of Finance, agreeing in principle to grant the state government emergency relief. Only recently, the World Bank approved the sum of $200 million for the construction of some bridges and roads damaged during the flood.
Part of the fund is to channelize the 30km Ona River and complete the Upper Ogunpa River, along with helping solve the state waste management challenges, from storage, collection, transportation to disposal sites, so as to turn them into sanitary landfills and to eventually begin a waste-to-wealth programme. An absence of these efforts has often been a major cause of flood disasters.
“Another part of the government’s efforts at ensuring that the flood disaster of last year does not reoccur was to also partner with the World Bank on the Eleyele Dam. The report, which came out after this partnership, discovered that the Eleyele Dam had not been silted in its 47 years of existence.
Immediately after the 2011 flood, Governor Ajimobi had to urgently rush to the World Bank office in Abuja, as a result of the predicted heavy rainfall. He further made a presentation to World Bank officials in Washington through teleconferencing in Abuja to show the emergency nature of the Eleyele Dam. This led to the palliative measures taken by the state government in the reconstruction of Eleyele Dam’s broken slabs. Perhaps, if this had not been done today, the flooding situation would have been more chaotic.
Even though flooding is a natural occurrence, the Oyo government has done every humanly possible thing to ensure that there is no reoccurrence of flood disaster in the state. It is however not resting on its oars.”
