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By Young Erhiurhoro, Warri
Calamity has again befallen the flood-ravaged Unenurhie community in Ughelli North Local Government Area and Enhwe community in Isoko South Local Government Area, as the bridge linking both Delta State communities was recently cut off by the flood, throwing residents of the communities into agony and pain.
Speaking to our correspondent during a visit to the fallen bridge, a resident and also property owner along the Unenurhie/Enhwe road, Mr. Sunday Joseph said, “It’s a very terrible and pathetic situation with us at the moment. Many of our residential houses are already flooded here. Many people are crying for lost of household properties and business places.
“As if these are not enough, we woke up this morning to see this great calamity done to us again by this ravaging flood. As you can see, this fallen bridge is linking us to Isoko communities like Enhwe, Igbide, Olomoro and other ones. Naturally, we share a common boundary with Enhwe community, but not just by this bridge. Across the bridge, before our natural boundary, we have farmlands scattered on both sides of the road owned by our people. These farmlands are mainly cassava farms and as we speak, the flood has already washed them away.
“All our farm produce are destroyed by the flood. Now, the little our people could save by harvesting them and used Okada to carry them from the road, are again disturbed since this bridge has fallen. To be more serious, we can’t use canoe to cross it because of the strong waves and high current. It’s not advisable. This means, all our cassava farms are lost to the flood and there is no remedy.
“As people in pains and agonies, we are therefore calling on the Delta State Emergency Management Agency (DESMA) to pay unscheduled visit to the fallen bridge to ascertain for themselves the damage to the bridge and the pains the people are passing through at the moment. This is an emergency situation and it needs an urgent attention from the government especially now that we have not recorded any human loss or possible accidents. If it’s only our farm produce that are lost, then we have no much problems. Compare to when we may be having accidents by strange road users.
“Again, I’m calling on our listening governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to come and rescue us from this unplanned calamity befalling us at the moment,” he said.
Also, a female poultry seller from Igbide community in Isoko, who was on the side of Unenurhie community before the bridge was cut off, said: “Even though the flood has destroyed the bridge linking us together as neigbouring communities of Urhobo and Isoko ethnic regions, but my blame will first of all go to our local and indigenous contractors that usually do poor work for their people.
“I learnt that this road and bridge was awarded to Isoko person to do. Just imagine, the government gave you a project to execute for the good and benefit of your own people, then you did this poor work and pocketed the rest of the money. At the end, we will always blame the government for neglecting us.
“Since this bridge has fallen, there is no way we can pass this road to my place again. In this case, I have to pass a longer route to my community. Can you see the pains inflicted on us by our contractors? Therefore, I’m calling on the Delta State government to come to our aid now since we haven’t recorded any death. This is presently adding to the economic woes and hardship we are already passing through as a result of this flood and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“My community, Igbide is already swept away by the flood as we speak. This is the reason I even relocated here. Now, the only bridge linking us has again fallen. What do we do to survive this great calamity? Our government should do something now that we are still alive,” she said with tears.
As at the time of filing this report, there was no case of human loss, except those of farm produce in both communities. However, to avoid accidents on the bridge section of the road by strange road users, the Okada riders in Unenurhie community barricaded the road with woods.
All efforts to speak to the presidents-general of both Unenurhie and Enhwe communities on the fallen bridge proved abortive.
