Paul Osuyi, Asaba
 
Communities in Okpanam area of the Delta State capital territory will soon heave a sigh of relief from perennial flooding as a result of the storm water drainage being constructed by the state government.
 
Inspecting the 4.6km drainage project on Thursday, Commissioner for Works, James Augoye, said 2.9km has been done by the contractor, adding that the job will be completed before the end of the year.
 
Augoye who inspected the project along side his information counterpart, Charles Aniagwu, said 15 adjoining roads of about 3.3km were also being constructed to help reduce the movement of sand which usually blocks the drains along Okpanam road during heavy rains.
According to him, the essence of the drainage project which was awarded on June 27, 2019 “is to reduce the volume of water that moves along the Okpanam road down to Shoprite area as a result of the hilly nature of Okpanam town.
“The volume of water coming from this area to Asaba town is always very huge during rains because of the hilly nature. With this drainage, we have been able to reduce the volume of water going into Asaba.
“We are also constructing some adjoining streets, about 15 roads, and the essence is also to reduce sand moving from this area to block the drains along Okpanam road through which the flood water moves to Asaba,” Augoye said.
He disclosed that about 50% of the compensation for houses marked for demolition has been paid, adding that the 50% will paid after an assessment by the estate valuer.
The commissioner however stated that no compensation will be paid for houses without government approval.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, said the state government will not slow down on project execution on account of the outbreak of COVID-19.
“We are desirous of building a stronger Delta by with these infrastructures, and we also desirous of saving these houses and homes that would have be affected by flood in due course.
“Thirdly, we know that building these infrastructure, we are creating jobs for our people, which is the economic implication,” he added.