Government should open up this area even if it means pulling down house and fences to pave way for free flow of water. Any building that is situated on the water way and drainage should be pulled down. If my own building is found to have been wrongly built ,let it be pulled down, we are suffering here
Maduako Igbokwe I Saturday, June 3, 2023
AWKA, Anambra, Nigeria – Residents of Awka, Anambra State are lamenting over poor planning of the state capital by Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), the agency vested with power to design a befitting template for the state capital and also enforce the development control.
The lamentations is not just about the poor planning but impediments on water ways and drainage system in the state. Due to blockages of water channels , the Iyi Agu River flood disaster that nearly consumed the State capital during Peter Obi’s tenure as a governor has resurfaced and posing a serious threat to buildings on the axis.
The poor planning of the state development has caused untold hardship to the people of Awka community, as many roads, buildings are facing the risk of being washed away or submerged in the flood.
A visit to many places in Awka , particularly Onwurah Street showed that people freely buit on drainage and water ways thereby obstructing the channels. More worrisome is the fact that the authority vested with power to regulate town planning does not care about those illegal buildings and the obstruction they cause to free flow of water.
A close look at Onwurah Street in Awka south local government council of Anambra State was clear manifestation of negligence and lack of due diligence in the enforcement of town planning laws for a better Anambra state capital.
The Iyi -Agu River that created problems during the time of Peter Obi as governor as result of channel blockage has resurfaced due to blockage of drainages. Landlords carelessly erected buildings and fences on the water ways and the area is now under serious threat. Over 30 buildings in the area could be submerged by end of the raining session.
Speaking to our reporter, a Medical Doctors at the Christ the king Hospital Onwurah Street , Awka, Dr. Onyemmadu Chukwunekwu Peter said that street is seriously endangered and may be submerged in the flood. According to him, the magnitude of flood in the area is so massive that it now entering the hospital and other houses in the area due to poor drainage and building on wrong places.
“The flooding in the area is affecting our hospital, patients ,our nurses and medical wards. Our staff have relocated from here to other places because of the challenges of flood. We are afraid that if things are not done urgently and if situation continue ,we may be forced to relocate from this place because of flood. If you go beyond this fence towards Anambra State stadium, you will find out that the drainage system is very poor” he said. He called on the state government to pull down every building and fences built on drainage to give access to free flow of water.
“The government should act fast because the flood is threatening buildings and our lives.
The poor drainage system is a risk factor for malaria and diarrhea ” he said.
According to him, poor planning of the town was responsible for the perennial flooding in the area. “We are asking Government to come up with special action plans to open up this place that are blocked by greedy landlords and individuals. We are looking up to government to free this place by demolishing all buildings and fences built on canal and water ways. Let government open up the space so that when it rains we will not wear rain boat again” he said.
A landlord, living in the street, Mr. Chukwudi Nweze said they are really disturbed by the flood that is ravaging the place. According to him, it is like hell for the residents any time it rains in the area.
“The gutters are very small to carry the volume of water coming to this area. They have used building to block all the channels and water ways. When it rains you cannot pass to your house because of the flooding ” he stated.
He also appealed to state government to help them to open the channels, blocked water ways to save their buildings which are on the verge of either collapsing or being submerged.
“Government should open up this area even if it means pulling down house and fences to pave way for free flow of water. Any building that is situated on the water way and drainage should be pulled down. If my own building is found to have been wrongly built ,let it be pulled down, we are suffering here” he said .
Also speaking, environmental activist, Comrade Osita Obi blamed the whole problems on the government who failed to plan Awka City well.
According to him, the people who are supposed to plan the capital city did not do their Jobs and they are the cause of the problem. He said that Government officials allow People to Indiscriminately build houses on water ways and drainages.
According to him, the problem is purely government’s failure to do what it is expected to do.
“Even here they built on river, the Iyi Agu River and when you build on waterways, water must find it ways and finding its ways water get into wrong place and cause havoc” he stated .
He stated that government must do anything needed to be done to secure the lives of people and their buildings in the area.
“Anything government can do for the overriding public interest must be done no matter who is involved. The accumulation of water here especially around the state mini stadium has formed a mini lake. Government should do all things to ensure that this danger is averted .
“Government should bring all the buildings standing on water ways down and also bring those officials who approved them to book. They must be a way of doing things in the state and government cannot just allow people to do things with impunity” he said.
He said that if there is need for demolition, the government should not hesitate to do that , saying that government should also punish the offenders.
Anything government can do for the overriding public interest must be done no matter who is involved. The accumulation of water here especially around the state mini stadium has formed a mini lake. Government should do all things to ensure that this danger is averted
Another landlord, Okechukwu Paul said they are worried about the condition of things in the street, urging the state government to urgently intervene to save lives .
“This place has always been problems to us, during the time of Peter Obi we had the same problem and his intervention saved us and now they have distorted and built house on top of all the water ways that Obi created . I’ am from Awka here ,if not for the intervention of Obi ,we would have packed out from this place” he stated.
He called on government to create big gutter and pull down any structure standing on water ways, noting that the Iyi Agu River has been blocked by the greedy landlords by building on the drainages.
According to him, if government did not urgently do something, most buildings will either be washed away or submerged in the flood. He said that people have built on any available space on the street and that the development is not good for residents, noting that the street that was supposed to join the expressway has been closed by buildings.
He called on governor Soludo to drastically take action to clear up the road for easy passage.
Paul also called on the governor to restore the original master plan of Awka, especially Onwurah Street and the surrounding.
According to him, people are running away from their homes because of the problem of flooding caused by government failure to do the right thing .
“We are having mini lakes in the streets because of doing the wrong things in the state. Government should act fast and save us from this situation” he said.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) Mr Osita Onuko assured that the government would do the needful to save the situation.
“Our job is to make sure that development control of Anambra is enforced. Onwurah Street has been a peculiar case because alot of water were channeled to the place. There is alot of water coming from inner city that are channel to the area. Again, people go there to dump refuse on the water way thereby blocking the water flow and the resultant effect is what we are seeing there” he stated.
He reassured that the government would do everything possible to reclaim all blocked areas.
According to him,any person that builds on the drainage channels will have his house pulled down. Onuko said that they will return sanity by enforcement of buildings plans in the state, adding that anybody who violate it would be sanctioned.
“We will pull down all structure on the water ways and drainages. We cannot allow the system of impunity to continue because of few selfish individuals. Those that built on the drainage and water ways to block free flow of water just made wrong investment as government will demolish those structure ” he said.
