Residents of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and its surrounds have urged the state government to find long-term solutions to the flooding that has damaged their homes and businesses.
According to The PUNCH, one of the resident of the community, Mr. Ndianabasi Isong, an engineer, lamented that his shop had remained shut for three days due to the damaging flood.
Isong said, “I am an automobile electrician by profession. I am one of the victims of the flood; it affected me very seriously.
“We had a relationship with the authorities of this school- Beulah Nursery/Primary School, so whenever it rains, we have to relocate customer cars and park them in front of the school. The flood has posed a lot of challenges, when it rains, it affects us financially.
“We are managing to survive; I’ve lost some customers. You can see my shop, the rain has destroyed everything, our tools that we bought from Lagos for work had been destroyed. One of my boys fell into the water and sustained injuries, he has been in the hospital.”
He added that he has operated his business in the same location for thirteen years.
“Before, it wasn’t like this. That is why I am appealing to the government and the people living around here to look for where to dispose of their waste products, and not to dump it here.
“Poor waste management is what is causing the flood because as they dump them, they block the gutters and make it difficult for water to flow freely. I appeal to Pst Umo Eno, our governor, to see what he can do to help us in this area,” he explained.
Another resident, Mrs Udeme Udeme Ime, a food vendor, bemoaned that the disaster had occurred in the area previously, albeit not as catastrophically.
“On my part, I find it difficult to sell my food anytime this place is flooded, anything I cook that day will be wasted,” Ime said.
Every time it rained heavily, according to Mr. Rotimi Awobode, head of ICT at Beulah Nursery/Primary School, the school’s compound would flood and the classrooms would become unusable.
He pleaded with the state authorities to assist in creating drainage canals so that the water could pass.
