An unceasing rain, a tempestuous flood
– Steve Ovirih.
The season we are ordinarily marks the gradual exit of the rainy months of the year; reality on ground is expressing the contrary. The rain that has seized the air space from October 1st till date has been falling with the zeal with which rainy seasons beckon.
While rainfall makes farmers happy and excited at the thought of bumper yeilds , not so heavy downpour pour all through the first two weeks of October; there is the fear that this unceasing rainfall will wash off all the yam seedlings that have just been planted by farmers and if this happens, we might just be looking famine in the eyes anytime soon.
Most definitely , the cocoa farmers are not happy with the October rain with its non stop propensity. The time to sun tan cocoa yields is now but rather than the sky oozing with sunlight, heavy downpour has been steady.
The heavy flooding that has attended the non stop rain is a cause for concern.
Floods in their torrent have caused no mean havoc in the past two weeks in Ondo state and beyond , on a scale that is so huge that it can only take government intervention for the victims of the flood to get a succor.
About a week ago in Akungba, the university town, no thanks to the rain, a final year undergraduate was allegedly swept away when the irate flood came rushing through her abode. ( The father of the victim had called to say her daughter is still alive).
Okitipupa in Ondo southern senatorial district has had its fair share of the flood. A visit to the Sharon Rose area along Ikoya road revealed the pains of the residents of the Victoria Gardens avenue, whose houses have almost been submerged. A good number of home owners have been forced to move away from their homes lest they suffer the illfate of the Akungba undergraduate who was allegedly swept away in flood.
Floods have caused a schism between Okitipupa and Ayeka as the General Hospital route has become impassable for pedestrian, cyclists and motorists. To cross over from Okitipupa to Ayeka now is not possible except a canoe comes to one’s assistance to waddle through.
The flood has wrecked untold havoc at the coastal Ilaje and Ese Odo communities of Ondo state. Ayetoro community in Ilaje has been sacked by the invading flood from the ocean side; unfortunately, schooling activities will have to be put on hold at Ayetoro and other coastal Ilaje communities as classrooms have all been waterlogged. Igbokoda has not faired well too as major streets suffer water encroachment while most houses are almost submerged.
The Ese Odo communities of Igbobini, Ilu Agbo, Igbotu, Igbekebo, and Inikorogha have all been waterlogged and literally overwhelmed by the flood.
The challenge there of is that should the rain continue with the energy with which it had sustained the downpour in the past two weeks, we will have on our hands emergency situation of huge proportion.
- How prepared is the government for such a demanding and tasking emergency scenario?
