By Okobi Alanah and Lucy Ezeliora
RESIDENTS of Igwogwor quarters in Okpanam community, Oshimili North council area, and in the Asaba Capital Territory, are now living in fear following the devastating flood after the torrential down-pour that caused submerging of the road including buildings.
Rain which supposed to be a source of joy comes with trepidation in this axis of Okpanam town for residents of the area. Schools, commercial buildings as well as residential houses are involved in the submerging each time it rains in this Igwogwor quarter of Okpanam.
It was a blistering Tuesday afternoon, and the clouds had started gathering strength before one of the residents, Mr Ngwu Obinna left home, and by the time he came back, the rain had wrecked, leaving residents to waddle in the flood and buildings submerged in the frightening flood.
Ngwu Obinna, a teacher, was left completely devastated and robed in confusion like most other residents that fell victim of the devastating flood. It was really heart-wrecking!
At one end of the house, members of his family were removing water and other debris out of their rooms because of the erosion. His compound was almost completely submerged in the raging flood occasioned by the downpour. Each time it rained, most residents of Igwogwor area of Okpanam are forced into grieve.
He said the drainage through which rain passes each time it comes is too small compared to the volume of water that passes through it during and after rainfall. ‘As a result, each time it gets to that point, it does not move further anymore. Often times when it overflows, it starts finding its way into people’s houses.
“We are the worst hit because we live very close to where Madona School for Children with Special Needs is located. Many people who are living here are worried due to disturbance by the erosion,” he lamented.
“This erosion has dealt with us, see how our roads are gradually dividing” he said pointing towards the direction through which the erosion channel passes through the school and his house. “This is not the first time we are experiencing this situation. It has caused a lot of damages to our road; and.it is gradually expanding. We don’t even know how to recover them again,” he said, trying hard to control the visible anger welling up in her.
In the same vain, members of the Okpanam Community Development Union (OCDUN), has called on the state government to intervene on the seemingly intractable gully erosion which has renewed its threat to lives and property.
Madonna School has long been a beacon of hope for children with special needs in our community. However, the institution now faces an existential threat from encroaching erosion, which has already disrupted access to the school and is rapidly undermining its structural integrity.
Severally people and properties have been affected by the raging flood when they fell into the gully mistakenly. Robert Ogonenwe, the President of Okpanam Community Development Union (OCDUN) said.
Lamenting that, no visible action has been taken to address the issue in the community till date, as we have sent series of messages to the state and federal governments.
Several efforts made by some of our leaders to contact the government and appeal for intervention on the erosion control in the affected community has not yielded any result so far.
According to him, the gully erosion, which started gradually and worsened in few weeks ago, has remained a threat to lives and property especially on the school children.
He added that the erosion covers a distance along the road. That it has been expanding with every rain that sets in, estimating its width presently to more meters at different points. Also the gully erosion has limited the community’s farming activities because it took over farmlands, destroyed crops, and cut-off their access road to the school and other buildings.
National Publicity Secretary OCUDUN, Comrade Christopher Nwayalani, highlighted the severe risk to properties and lives due to the persistent erosion adding that it also affected physical development hence “nobody can build on a land where erosion would one day come and swallow the building”
When the Pointer visited the community, the gullies are gradually heading close to the wall of the school and it gradually destroying the major road passing through the community. The residents said the community has been battling decade-long erosion challenges, which had torn apart the drainages and roads in the community.
During the rainy season, many residents of the community stay indoors in order to avoid being carried away by floods. The residents had to construct wooden bridges to navigate the gullies
.One of the residents of Igwogwor quarters, named Lady Lizzy Nmadu, said she has been unable to move smoothly to her house due to the expanding gullies.
She said the community has written several letters to the state government and LGA requesting the construction of drainages and tarred roads. But state government has refused to grant the request.
Lizzy said many residents have suffered varying degrees of injuries owing to the deplorable condition of the road in the community.
‘‘Previously, this gully erosion only affected one side of the community but now, it has expanded down to the walls of the school also on both sides, large portions of soil keep sliding in, which has forced some of the students to avoid passing through the roads to the school.
Speaking on the community request, the President-General said:
In light of the above, we respectfully request the following:
- Immediate Erosion Control Measures: Prompt intervention to halt the advancement of erosion threatening the school. 2. Infrastructure Development: Construction of access roads and drainage systems to ensure safe and sustainable access to the school. 3. Community Engagement: Inclusion of local stakeholders in planning and implementation to ensure the solutions are contextually appropriate and effective.
The Madonna School is not just an educational institution; it is a sanctuary for some of our most vulnerable children. Its preservation is a moral imperative. We trust that under your leadership, the Delta State Government will act swiftly to safeguard this invaluable asset for the community.
We called on the state government to speed up measures to deal with the menace of erosion in our community affected so that residents can heave a deep sigh of relief especially the school
I believe that if nothing is done to deal with the threats posed by erosion in our community, the government may wake up one morning to discover that the school has been swept away.
We remain committed to collaborating to your administration’ he stressed.
