- Flood menace overruns Enugu communities
- Artisans, Residents count loses as properties worth millions of naira got lost to the menace
- Nsukka catholic bishop, Most Rev. Prof. Igwebuike Onah condemns unpatriotic attitude of the residents
For the people of Amukwa, Amaeze and Ihe communities in Nsukka local government area of Enugu, this is not the best of time for them.
It is indeed a moment of anguish, suffering and anxiety as they are continually losing their valued properties, houses and land.
This is not because of the current economic hardship in the country but more importantly about the ravaging flood that has rendered many of the residents and equally destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that since this year’s rainy season, life has been miserable and unbearable for these communities as flood has continued to wreak untold havoc in their communities.
However, when our reporter visited these communities, it was a tale of woes, sorrows and anguish written in their faces.
Along Nsukka/Enugu road, some vehicles were seen trapped in the middle of the already submerged road.
At Ihe community, one of the residents, Chijioke Agu who spoke to our reporter said it was unfortunate that the flood which was controllable has continued to ravage them.
“I parked into this apartment two years ago. As a matter of fact, there was nothing like flood threat in this area when I parked in. but as you can see today, our compound has been submerged by flood. My room was full of water when I came from shop last night.”
Narrating further, Mr. Agu told WITHIN NIGERIA that he has already started parking out from the house after the flood destroyed most of his belongings which include bed, cooking gas cylinder, television set, standing fan and many others.
Also in a chat with our reporter, one of the staff of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC who gave her name as Ujunwa Michael expressed her displeasure over the development.
“Each time there is rain fall in Nsukka, we don’t go to office again. Our office at Enugu road, Nsukka is the epicenter of the flood menace in the area. This is because we will not even see the entrance to our gate, not to talk of getting into the office. So, if there is rainfall in the morning on week days, there is no going to office again that day. We usually work from home if such rainfall occurs. More than 500 metres away from our office gate will flooded to the knee level if there is about 30 minutes rain fall in this town. That is the situation in which we have found ourselves since this year.”
Emmanuel Mbah is a welder few metres away from the office of EEDC, Enugu road, the epicenter of the flood. He told WITHIN NIGERIA that the flood has literally become a source of trouble to his family.
“I have been in this shop for more fifteen years now. But this year is the worst year for me here. This place has not been so flooded like this during rainy season.”
Explaining further, Mbah told our reporter that “each time there is rain fall up to thirty minutes in the morning, I will not come to work again that day. I will not see the road to come to my shop again because everywhere will be flooded with water.”
Asked if he has lost any belonging to the flood, Mr. Mbah told WITHIN NIGERIA that, “last three months, flood entered my shop and submerged my generator and welding machine and other vital equipment. But for quick response, I would have lost all those items to the flood.”
According to him, the flood was caused by indiscriminate disposition of refuse to the gutter which has led to the blockage of both surface and underground drainage systems built by the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Mr. Mbah called on the Enugu state government to come their rescue to avert the closure or total dilapidation of multi million naira Nsukka/Enugu road due to the flood menace.
According to him, “ I am of the opinion that government should set up security to monitor those who dump refuse in those gutters. Anybody caught should be made to pay at N100,000 to serve as deterrence to others.”
In any case, lamenting on the situation, the catholic bishop of Nsukka diocese, Most Rev. Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah condemned the attitude of the indiscriminate refuse disposers.
According to him, he was shocked to see that residents of the area have used refuse to block the drainage system.
He called on those who are disposing refuse indiscriminately anywhere to desist from such unpatriotic act, while calling on the government to salvage the situation.
All efforts to get the comment of the traditional rulers of these communities proved abortive as their phone number were not going through.
However, when our reporter visited the traditional ruler of Ihe community, HRH Igwe George Asadu, he was said to have gone on an important meeting at Enugu, the state capital.