Abraka: Flood Wrecks Havoc In Popular High Chief’s Compound By Dafe Rukevwe

Reports reaching us show that a recent heavy downpour in Abraka Community left a landlord in Abraka, who is also a community leader, High Chief Benjamin Avwaritoma JP and tenants in disarray, as the compound’s fence collapsed and resulted in a flooded situation that did not spare any of the apartments in the compound.

According to High Chief Avwaritoma, the waters that entered into his apartment got up to 2 feet, adding that he had to hire a pumping machine at 9.30 p.m. that worked till 3 a.m. the next morning.

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Avwaritoma blamed the flood situation on the poor job done by a federal contractor who is said to have constructed drainage along the expressway without making sure that there is a proper arrangement to allow the outflow of water from the gutter.
The landlord who quantified the damage as running into millions, called on the federal government to re-award the contract to a better contractor that will get an outlet to allow the flow of water in the gutter to the Ethiope River.

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He said: “I am a confused man. I did not sleep last night. Several of my documents since 1960 such as my land document have been destroyed. My wife’s cement and fish feed store was flooded and we lost everything there.”
At the time of filing this report, High Chief Avwaritoma had drafted bricklayers to commence the construction of another fence to prevent a reoccurrence. Some tenants however considered the fence as one not solid since blocks from the broken fence were used to form the foundation for the new offence.

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Littered properties of the residents from the eight flat apartments were seen outside, as several electronic appliances were destroyed by the flood. OM gathered that 6 vehicles parked in the compound were submerged to the seat level.

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A tenant who spoke to us under conditions of anonymity disclosed that the gutter was 3 years old, blaming the landlords in Okpoghoro for fencing their compounds, thereby allowing the flood situation which the poor drainage constructed by the federal contractor could not handle.