The Aseyori village in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, will soon be able to breathe easier because the state government has committed to addressing the issue of flooding that affects them due to the Ureje river.
All water channels leading to the Ureje River will soon be dredged to allow for free flow of water, reducing flooding, according to Dr. Akinyemi Akinyugha, project coordinator of the National Erosion and Watershed Management Project, Ekiti NEWMAP.
Dr. Akinyugha expressed his sympathy for the victims, especially the fish farmer, Dr. Ebenezer Temitope Adebayo, whose farm was damaged, during an evaluation of the area and the flood damage.
“Reducing vulnerability to soil erosion in designated sub-catchments is the development objective of Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP),” he stated.
In order to address the threat of gully erosion on a multifaceted scale, the State Government, Federal Government, and the World Bank collaborated on NEWMAP in Ekiti State.
“The Ureje channel is particularly important because it serves as a confluence for many other rivers in Ado, including Igede.
“Stormwater can inundate the canal, creating considerable flood and spillover into the adjacent villages, much like we recently observed,” says the author. This can happen when there is very strong rainfall in a short period of time.
He mentioned that the Ekiti State Government had completed the engineering plans for concrete channelization of the main Ado canals, including the entire Ureje stretch.
Remember that over 3.5 kilometers of the Aiya River (Kajola Temidire) and 2.2 kilometers of the Bisi Aloba Adun Ogbon (Osun River) in Ikere LGA, both of which were channelized by the governor’s administration, as well as more than 4,000 kilometers of drainage work in Ipao, Irele, and Oke Ako in Ikole LGA, have already been finished.
Additionally, the Project finished building Ajolagun Bridge (Ikere), Arinkin Bridge (Oke Ako), and Ogbomu culvert, among other hydraulic projects, throughout the state (Irele).
“By saving lives that may have been lost to flooding in the past and boosting intra- and inter-state socio-economic activity, such as the free passage of people, products, and services, these initiatives have direct positive effects on Ekiti citizens and indigenes.
In order to establish microclimates that can combat climate change and make investments in the future of the forest industry, the Project also planted up to 280,000 trees in forest reserves and private woodlots throughout nine LGAs (Ado, Ikere, Gbonyin, Ise/Orun, Emure, Oye, Ekiti South West, Ekiti West, and Ekiti East).
The third phase of NEWMAP in Ekiti State is the channelization works in the Ado and Efon LGAs, and they will begin as soon as financing is confirmed from our development partners.
“Ekiti NEWMAP has been promised full assistance by the next Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, just as Governor John Kayode Fayemi swiftly provided the counterpart money necessary to finish the project. The dredging of the main canals will start immediately in the interim.
Dr. Akinyugha urged residents to refrain from dumping rubbish into the canals when it rains since plastics, waste, and other debris brought from town could worsen the flooding problem.
He pointed out that such actions frequently have detrimental impacts downstream and might make flooding problems worse.
Additionally, he urged people not to construct buildings close to river courses.
In reference to the disaster’s victims, he stated that the State Emergency Management Agency had been alerted and will visit the scene within the coming week.
