By Kamsi Anayo
A drainage built to control flood along Onitsha/Asaba Express Road at the Upper Iweka area of Onitsha has collapsed, threatening lives of traders at Ogbaru Main Market, artisans and passersby alike.
A part of the drainage which caved into the large construction as a result of the early rains of the year if not properly checked could result in casualties and eventual collapse of the pedestrian bridge in the vicinity.
It was, however, gathered that an earlier renovation work was done by government on the collapsed portion of the drainage but later caved in due to poor construction.
When our Correspondent visited the collapsed site on Saturday, it was discovered that the reconstruction work was poorly carried out with substandard building materials which was incapable of checking heavy flood that flows from the neighbouring Obosi community and Awada areas of Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
The flood is already threatening to penetrate inside market.
President-General of Ogbaru Main Market, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu lamented that in spite of the work carried out by his administration recently much is still needed to be done.
He said that his administration had spent huge sums of money to escavate the collapsed concrete that covered the drainage which had resulted in flood overflowing its artificial channel.
Ochiogu noted that the huge financial burden was too much for traders in the market to bear and called on the state and Federal Government to come to their rescue.
He said that the damaged portion of the drainage if not immediately checked may result in deaths and damage of market stalls located near the water channel built during the administration of former Gov. Peter Obi.
” As you can see, the whole of the drainage slab has damaged leaving the top soil being washed away. We have been trying our best to control it but it is beyond our capacity. It is so deep and wide that it requires huge capital to tackle. That is why we are calling on Federal and state governments to assist us.
“We are afraid because if something urgently is not done, flood will sack and destroy this Market in this rain season. As we heard, there will be high rainfall and flood this year.
“If it is not poor work done on this portion of drainage by the people who claimed that they repaired it, this nonsense would not have surfaced again. It is even worst because all the slabs have been washed away,” Ochiogu said.
Recalled that Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has issued several warning ahead of this year’s high rainfall, and flood, warning everybody to be precaution and ready for the upcoming rain season
