Benin residents battle annual flood

06 May Benin residents battle annual flood

Flooding in Benin City, the state capital, has become an annual ritual that throws residents into anguish and ceaseless pain, ADEYINKA ADEDIPE writes

 These are not the best of times for residents of Benin, Edo State as they have begun to feel the pain brought about by flood, which has become a perennial problem in the state during the rainy season.

It is common to see several parts of the city flooded during and after a  downpour. Some parts of the Government Reserved Area where the Government House and other government institutions and offices are situated are always flooded whenever it rains making movement highly impossible, while other parts of town are also not spared. Unfortunately, one of the most affected areas in the GRA is Ihama.

Motorists and pedestrians run for cover whenever the storm gathers as no one wants to be caught in the ensuing commotion that comes with the deluge. Apart from the GRA, places like upper Sakponba, Uselu, Erediawa, Upper Adesua (where flood has sacked a private hospital), and New Benin are always flooded causing gridlock, with many wasting precious time and sometimes cursing their luck for getting caught up in the confusion that occurs due to flooding.

A closer look at what could be the major cause(s) of flooding in the city, especially in the GRA is the absence of drainages. When it rains, there is no channel for water to pass through in this area, which makes flooding becomes inevitable thereby causing damage to the roads and vehicles caught up in it. Also, indiscriminate disposal of refuse has hindered the state government’s best effort at fighting this perennial problem as drainages are blocked by refuse in areas where they exist.

Residents have had to abandon their houses during the rainy season for fear of losing their belongings as well as fearing that damage to the houses might lead to collapse. They put the blame solely on the doorstep of the government, noting that it has to come up with a plan to ensure that the annual flooding is brought down to the nearest minimum.