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Residents who live on Okpanam Road and environs in Asaba have been told to stop the unwholesome act of dumping refuse on the drains as doing so hinders the water during rains from flowing properly into the discharge points.
Commissioner for Works, Chief James Augoye made the appeal today, Wednesday, 18/7/2018 at a special press conference held in the conference hall of the Ministry of Information, Asaba.
Augoye, with him, was the Director General of the Delta state Capital Development Agency (DSCDA), Chief Clement Ofuani, as well as the contractors handling the storm drain projects in the state capital, said: “I appeal to those living along Okpanam road who are dumping refuse on the drains, thereby blocking the drain water channels and causing flooding.”
He observed that about two hours after the rain, the water drains off completely. “That talks about the effectiveness of the stormwater drainage that is being constructed.”
The Commissioner explained that the refuse dumped on the drains prevent the water from flowing properly in the drains, as a result, it causes the silt that should have flowed to the discharge points to be obstructed and thereby causing silting.
He, therefore, called on motorists and residents of Asaba, Okpanam, and environs to show more understanding with the state government on the recurring flood during heavy rainfall.
Chief Augoye said the functionality of the drains were in good order as the flood usually receded after the rainfall, saying that if at present the flood could be drained 30 minutes after the rains, the situation would improve when the roads and drains were eventually completed.
The works commissioner observed that the flood situation was not peculiar to Delta State and was even most devastating elsewhere across the country and the world but gave an assurance that the state government would leave no stone unturned to provide a lasting solution to the problem.
Explaining further, Chief Augoye stated that the implication of the rains in the past two days was that the ongoing construction works would be affected, mentioning specifically that of Okpanam Road, where he said the flood pulled off parts of the tarred roads with gaps bordering the sandy portion.
He said such cases were not unusual particularly when the final overlay had not been placed on the tarred portions to make the asphalt work bind properly.
He said that the contractor, Tratrix Construction was on the ground to remedy every defect caused by the rains, assuring that he had been following up on the job because of the seriousness attached to it.
Giving a brief on the history of the contract, the works commissioner said that the 6.25-kilometre Okpanam road and drain project was awarded on 25th September 2013, saying as at the time the present administration came in, the drains were not properly connected.
The commissioner also noted that the road aspect did not indicate whether it was going to be a single lane or dual carriage, adding that Tratrix took over from the former handler, Modis Construction, to carry out the corrective measure, emphasizing that the state government was keen on seeing the job done to specification and completed.