By Emma Amaize, Asaba

GOVERNOR of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has explained his outstanding vehemence in confronting and finally surmounting the intractable flood that troubled residents of Asaba, the state capital, for many years before he assumed office.

Very dear to my heart

With glittering joy, he told the National Chairman of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who inaugurated the Ralph Uwechue Road and Storm Drainage projects executed by the state government, at the weekend, the story he maintained was very dear to his heart

His words: “This particular project (the Asaba storm water drainage project) is very dear to my heart, not because of the road but because of the storm drainage project which you are inaugurating today.”

2016 flood that shook Govt House

“Some years ago, when I came into government, precisely in 2016, I slept and when I woke up, my ADC drew my attention to the fact that the fences of the Government House had been breached in two points, because the flood water coming from Okpanam had destroyed the fences that we had on either side and I knew that I had a problem on my hands.

“We had to call for a study to be made, that delayed us for another 12 months and by the 18th month, after the studies, we had to take a bold step.

The narrative has changed

“Today, by the special grace of God, we can now boast of roads that are passable and streets where people can now freely live in. This is because a lot of people were actually packing out of this area.

“At the beginning, you see a drainage of about 1.6m, 1.8m square. But as you move to the end, you get to a level where you are actually having drains of about 3 meters by 3 meters or say 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep and that means conveniently, you can drive jeeps through the drains.

“Today, we no longer suffer what we used to suffer before now. This beautiful road that we came through, normally, in the rains, you cannot go through.

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“But today, it is no longer so because once it rains now, within 10 minutes, all the water is gone straight into the river,” he said.

NDV learned the governor’s joy knew no bounds because the storm drainage project, which cost billions of naira, has provided a permanent solution to the hitherto perennial flooding of the state capital.

A knotty challenge truly

Indeed, before Okowa took over in 2015, flood was one of the biggest challenges to residents of Asaba and neighboring Okpanam, which caused terrible gridlock whenever it rained.

The road leading to Junior Staff Quarters from Summit Road was often cut off during the rains, and premises of Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS), Asaba, also went under, submerged by the flood, with offices run over and equipment destroyed.

Besides Okpanam Road, DBs Road, Junior Staff Quarters Road, other places usually badly affected by flood include Jesus Saves Road, DLA Road, Ambassador Leo Okogwu Road, Infant Jesus, Temple Clinic area and whole of Asaba inland town.

Though residents complained about collapse of some sections of the storm drainage project some months ago, officials said government had tackled the hitches. Only time will tell if the engineers got it right this time.

Work progressing on Warri storm drainage

To put Warri on the same template with Asaba, the Delta State Executive Council, had in August, last year, approved the extension of Warri-Uvwie storm drainage project, which contract was first awarded in January 2020, but stalled by COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure proper and enduring control of flood in the area when completed.

The extension consists of flood control works in Ugbuwangue community in Warri South LGA and additional 15 work sites in phases I and II of the drainage project, bringing the sites to 76.

So far, residents of the affected areas in Warri where the contractor had carried out activities, said they were no longer threatened by flood.

Respite for Okpanam residents

For the Okpanam storm water drainage project in Asaba, the flood was channeled to Iyi-Uku in Okotomi Quarters. The 4.6km drain was a proactive measure taken by the state government to address the flooding from Okpanam to Shoprite area in Asaba.

To achieve its objective, government had to embark on the tarring of several roads around Okpanam Road in a bid to control flood which was already a big problem on the road, adjoining streets and Okpanam community and paid for buildings marked for demolition, creating relief for disturbed inhabitants.

Vanguard News Nigeria