By Sunday Ogli, Makurdi
Several houses including churches, schools, eateries and bars in Makurdi the Benue State capital have been ravaged and submerged by floods following a heavy downpour.
Heavy rains lasting over 8 hours lashed the city overnight into the early hours of Monday, resulting in houses around Methodist Church Owner Occupier Estate in George Akume way, New GRA, Radio Benue, Nyiman, Idye and Naka road areas severely flooded.
Other worse-hit areas include: Achusa, North Bank area, Ankpa Quarters, Tilley Gyado- Terwase Agbadu, Wurukum, Wadata and Behind Customary Court, damaging several household goods and foodstuff.
Majority of the flood waters emanated from the ongoing roads construction and uncompleted drainages, which overflowed into the affected areas in the town.
Apart from the many residential houses that were affected, churches, schools, eateries and bars were equally flooded while many commuters were also stranded.
Our correspondent who monitored the situation observed that residential buildings and eatery joints located around areas undergoing constructions and near riverbanks were badly affected as flood waters take over streets and homes.
At Idye and old Otukpo road areas, the flooded streets were impassable as residents in the areas called on the state government hasten the ongoing roads and drainages constructions as they could no longer assess the streets, particularly during the rainy season.
Another resident, John Imenger, who spoke to our correspondent commended governor Hyacinth Alia for addressing the issue of perennial flooding by constructing roads and drainages in those areas, but urged him, to immediately open some of the channels blocked by the construction companies to give way for easy flow of water.
Imenger said that the indiscriminate closure of those roads and streets have actually contributed to today’s flooding being experienced.
Effort to get reaction from the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Sir James Iorpuu, and other officials of the agency, was unsuccessful.
