...Begins Intensive Desilting Of Gutters
BY RAYMOND OZOJI, Awka
Shop owners and residents along Zik Avenue Awka could not withhold their joy and happiness as the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) commenced massive desilting of drainages in the area to rescue them from age-long perennial flooding.
Investigations conducted during the commencement of the exercise revealed that the level of devastations caused by flooding in the area is better imagined as flood found its way into people's homes and shops due to blockage of flood channels.
Human and vehicular movements in the area become impossible because of the level of flood that congregated between Post office, Udeke street down to Eke-Awka market area along the popular Zik Avenue road.
Mrs. Ada Nwogbo who lives along Udeke street by Zik Avenue said it was always catastrophic each time it rained because according to her, the height of the flood got to the waist level and no one dared to come out for fear of being trapped in the menacing flood.
She however expressed joy that the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) has come to rescue them from flood menace. She equally suggested that henceforth anyone caught throwing refuse into the gutters should be arrested by the police and dealt with accordingly.
A shop owner who identified himself as Gabriel Tagbo said the intensive desilting of gutters embarked upon by ACTDA was a timely intervention to their sufferings.
Tagbo who observed that the drainages on both sides of the road were too small, maintained that each time it rained, the drainages were filled up resulting in water entering people's homes and shops.
He equally suggested that all the slabs used in covering gutters should be removed for easy evacuation of silt from water channels.
Although Mr. Tagbo recalled that flood entered his shop and destroyed his goods, he also expressed happiness that ACTDA has come to rescue them from perennial flood menace.
A native of Awka who gave his name as Aiza Nwosu, said he has overtime done campaigns against throwing wastes inside the gutters whenever it rained.
Aiza Nwosu said at some point, he volunteered his personal car for waste collections; thereby going around and telling people to bring their wastes for him to use his private car to evacuate them all in a bid to control flood in the area.
Also Pharm. Obiefuna Patrick Eze, who owns a pharmaceutical store at Amaenyi along Zik Avenue Awka, shared his ordeal with our correspondent.
He said he has been suffering from flood menace for the past 4 years but heaved a sigh of relief that the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) has intervened with clearing the gutters to ensure free flow of water through the gutters whenever there was a downpour.
He equally suggested that the citizens should assist government by voluntarily desilting drainages within their surroundings as government can not be everywhere at the same time.
Meanwhile Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) Hon. Ossy Onuko, said the exercise was a continuation of Operation Clean and Green Campaign.
Onuko said the agency is launching a weeklong intensive desilting of drainages along Zik Avenue Awka which is about 7.5 kilometers, stressing that the agency will ensure that debris no longer blocked flood channels.
Onuko said that the agency has gotten complaints that Zik Avenue is covered with flood whenever it rained. He said citizens have imbibed a very negative culture of dumping refuse into the drainages once it rained. That the resultant effect is that plastic wastes which do not decompose fill up the drainages and block flood channels, leaving the roads at the mercy of the flood.
The ACTDA MD noted that when they came on board there were no receptacles along Zik Avenue. But according to him, they have provided receptacles within walking distance where people can dispose their wastes, adding that there was no reason whatsoever people should dump waste inside the gutters only to cause environmental hazards.
According to Onuko, Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has strengthened the Ocha-Brigade to take up the task of ensuring that those found throwing wastes inside the gutters are effectively punished in accordance with the law.
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The commencement of the desilting of drainages along Zik Avenue Awka.