By Eric Ugbor

ABA—DETERMINED to rid Aba the commercial nerve city of Abia State of over flooding especially during the rainy season, the state Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has promised to recover all the natural water basins in Aba, including Ife-Obara basin on Omuma road to curtail perennial flooding in the city.

Ikpeazu who made the promise during an unscheduled visit to the natural water basins and channels in Aba solicited the help of residents to make the effort worthwhile.

The governor warned people who have built houses on the path of run-off water to take whatever they have put on the way of the water or lose them.

Ikpeazu who spoke to the Ariaria residents in Osisioma Local Government Area said that he would do everything to ensure that Aba residents were no longer troubled by needless floods.

He said: “Whatever construction we are doing is consuming a lot of money on Old Express and Faulks Roads. The contractor on Faulks road is Setraco and it is costing a lot of money – almost half of the entire money earmarked for road construction in the year.

“We do not want to use a contractor who is not very good hence our choice of Setraco. But whatever Setraco does, if residents refuse to allow the water to follow  its natural channel to Ife-Obara , all our efforts will be in vain. I am saying that we plan to recover all the land around here which is part of this Ife-Obara water basin and dredge it to take away storm water from around this area. Then we can think of channeling what is left in this area to Water-Side,” he said.