Imo government moves to tackle flooding

Imo Government says it is tackling flood in the state by desilting the existing drains and channelling water to appropriate rivers.

Mr Ben Ekwueme, the Commissioner for Works, made this known during an interaction with newsmen at his office in Owerri on Wednesday.

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“The state is working hard to achieve zero tolerance for flood which is the reason we are designing roads that will withstand flood.

He said that underground drainages would be constructed to reduce the flow of water on the surface of the ground.

”The roads earmarked for construction include the Assumpta to Ibari Ogwa, which will be expanded into an expressway and Concord road junction to Assumpta will have an underground drainage of 1.5 m in diameters.

”Some underground drainage at Umuguma World Bank area down to Control Post and from Everyday Supermarket there will be underground drainage to channel all the water from that road to Nworie to contain and reduce the flow.

‘’We will service the existing manholes and rid them of blockages.

“The government is trying to redesign all the roads from Chukwuma Nwoha, Dick Tiger and Relief Market to enable us to discharge all the waters from two points within that Federal Housing Estate.

”We will take it from Relief Market across Egbu road down to Otamiri. We will also take it from Chukwuma Nwaoha and then to Otamiri,” he said.

He said that the attention of the Federal Government had been drawn to the federal roads in Imo through its agencies in the state such as the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The commissioner, however, advised residents within the vulnerable areas to constantly listen, monitor and heed to information coming from meteorological units of government for the safety of their lives and property.

He advised people to be careful and desist from practices that could increase flooding.