By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The youths of Ogidi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra, over the week, knelt in pool of dirty water to drive home their SOS appeal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the devastating effects of flood ravaging the major access road to the community.
The road —Enugu/Onitsha Old Road —which hosts thousands of legs and vehicles on daily basis, is the next busiest road connecting Onitsha to Awka and Enugu, after the Enugu/Onitsha Expressway.
However, a recurring phenomenon has left the road in a very devastating condition, as a heavy pool of flood usually submerges the Ogidi section of the popular road whenever it rains.
This reporter, Izunna Okafor, who has visited the area on several occasions, observed that the flood, which is usually about 3-feet deep or more from the asphalt surface, usually starts from the Junction of the Ebenezer Secondary School, Ogidi, with a stretch of about 200 meters long.
It was further observed that many vehicles, including commercial and private, are usually stuck in the pool of the flood, as water infiltrates their engines, resulting in their immediate blink off and being trapped in the pool of the flood. This usually culminates in occupants of the unlucky/trapped vehicles being stranded and having no other option but to alight into the pool of the dirty flood and help rescue the trapped vehicle by pushing it out of the flood.
Some area boys are also usually seen at the scene whenever it rains, as they leverage and take advantage of the situation to make some cool cash by assisting any driver who seeks their services to push out stuck vehicles to the dry land or to mechanic workshop.
Although, few lucky drivers succeed in maneuvering and driving past the flood, many others, especially those who are not familiar with the terrain, often get trapped down in the pool of the flood, including some motorcyclists and tricyclists. On the other hand, some others who cannot dare the adventure turn or divert early enough and ply alternate routes, after seeing/hearing of others’ ordeals and experience.
This has always resulted in the doubling of transportation cost in the area, causing untold hardship to road users, and ugly experience to residents of the area, whenever it rains. And the flood usually takes up to weeks to dry, depending on the frequency of rainfall.
Reports have it that parts of the accumulated water also find their ways into people’s houses, farmlands and other property in the area, with huge and devastating effects and damages. Business activities, school children and school activities are also affected in the area whenever it rains.
A source, in a recent interview, also recounted how a shoemaker died in the pool of the flood, without anyone finding out, until his c0rpse started smelling, before people started searching and finally found his floating c0rpse there days after he drowned.
It was these and many other consequences that moved the youths of Ogidi to protest the deplorable condition of the road and send SOS to Governor Soludo, appealing his immediate intervention on the road to help address the recurring flood challenges.
The youths, in a video from the scene, were seen kneeling down in the pool of the flood with placards while begging Governor Soludo to come to their rescue.
In the video that emerged over the week, the Ogidi youths passionately pleaded with the Governor to forgive anything they or their community might have done against him or his government, and quickly intervened in the situation.
“We beg you as a father, to forgive us in any way we might have offended you, and urgently come to our rescue. We are suffering here. We call on you to please intervene and save us from this situation. We are begging you, Governor Soludo, please come and help us,” said the leader of the team as they knelt in the pool of the dirty water.
Inquiries by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, revealed that the flooding problem on the road was created when the road was being constructed, being the period the flood was channeled to the drainage in the area. It was gathered that the situation had, however, aggravated due to the structural developments that are springing up in the area and the increase in the volume of runoff water from households as a result of climate change, which results in more water being flooded into the area.
It was further gathered that the flow channel in the area runs from there to the Inland Door in Nkpor; from where it crosses Michael Ajaegbo Road that goes into Obosi, and down to Owereaja. From Owereaja, it crosses the Owerri-Onitsha Road, to the Metallurgical Institute. And, from there, it goes down to the Idemili River.
Some residents of the area, who spoke with this reporter, lamented that the situation had become a regular phenomenon, and further speculated that the drainage channel in the area might be too small for the volume of the water it was designed for. They lamented that the flooding and the accumulation of large volume of water in the area has always caused them numerous irreplaceable losses, recounting how the flood destroys things in their households and farmlands within the neighbourhood on a regular basis, with no one coming to their rescue, despite several appeals to authorities.
Watch the video below:
