Posted by By Udede Jim on
Residents of northern axis of Buguma, headquarters of Asari-Toru Local Government Area (ASALGA) have greeted the council's clearing and revival of the long-abandoned drainage with enthusiasm, saying if it remains functional they would now live conveniently and not like aquatic animals since they have had to literally swim everyday during the rains for the past eight years.
Residents of northern axis of Buguma, headquarters of Asari-Toru Local Government Area (ASALGA) have greeted the council's clearing and revival of the long-abandoned drainage with enthusiasm, saying if it remains functional they would now live conveniently and not like aquatic animals since they have had to literally swim everyday during the rains for the past eight years.
Some of them who spoke with journalists that visited the on-going reworking of the drainage last week also conducted a group of curious onlookers round their homes, most of which have become unplanned fish farms and ponds because of the flood, occasioned by non-functional drainages as exit line for rain water in the community.
Why would a section of Buguma harbouring a police station, Community Health Centre, secondary schools, in addition to thousands of indigenes be allowed to suffer so much pain and neglect for so long?
Mr. Princewill Thomas, a ferry man who told the inquisitive newsmen that he had been living in that axis since 1980 said the area became worse like a fishing port overrun by water other than the capital city of the Kalabari kingdom.
Responding to inquiries on past effort to remedy the situation, Mr. Thomas noted how some years ago the residents were merely excited when a supposed contractor brought several equipment and labourers for an elaborate drainage construction, but were shocked to find that a few months later the job was abandoned, leaving the condition worsened.
A teacher at the Kalabari Girls' High School, Mr. Abbidiki Amachree expressed bitterness at the level of material and physical loss residents have incurred over the years, from the time the area was reclaimed to expand the community.
Mr. Amarchree, with his trousers folded up to his knees to wade through the stagnant water, lamented that no one truly cared about their plight over the years until the temporary relief measure embarked upon by the council under Hon. Aroloyeteim Brown.
Curiously, a respected figure in Buguma, Chief Mangibo Amachree, former chairman of the community council of Chiefs and Kalabari Council of Chiefs, revealed that the Rivers State Government (RSG) had awarded the contract for drainage construction to an indigenous contractor since two years ago with more than 50% mobilization fee paid to him but no appreciable job was done.
Reacting to the pain and disgust that has ravaged the residents because of the blocked drainage, the chairman of the council, Hon. Brown said the executive arm had to make an emergency fund approval of about N1 million for some work to take place on the drainage in order to alleviate their suffering.
He said, "The anguish has become too unbearable, with properties being damaged and the threat of school children drowning, so we just had to initiate something. However, the total cost of a proper drainage is too high for the council, so we call on the Ministry of Environment and the Rivers State Government to come to our aid.
The situation in that part of Buguma is terrible when the rains fall, as is happening now.
Work on the drainage started on Monday, 18th July and is expected to last between tow and three weeks, under the supervision of the Head of Works Dept. in the council.