Some residents in the Lafenwa-Abule Otun community in Abeokuta North local government area of Ogun State have fled their homes following the release of water from the Oyan dam, which has caused flooding in the community.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the community, which is meters away from the Ogun River, was flooded by water occasioned by the release of water from the Oyan Dam, coupled with torrential rainfall on Saturday.
Our correspondent, who visited the community on Monday, observed that no fewer than five houses in the lowland were filled with water, while some houses had traces of flooding on them. Some of the houses were also deserted, with no occupants in sight.
A resident, Lateefat Akinwunmi, noted that since the release of water from the dam and the heavy rainfall that preceded it, they have had to evacuate their houses, which have been taken over by flood. She lamented that living has become difficult as the goods she sells have been trapped in the house while she and her family had to stay with a friend.
She said, “We used to experience flooding occasionally, but the recent opening of the dam has caused the flooding to be much this time. Our properties have been destroyed, and we have been displaced from our homes. We can no longer sleep at home because of the flood, which has taken over our rooms, too.
“I sell perishable goods, and my goods are trapped inside while some have got damaged. The bag of Garri (Cassava flakes) that I bought recently for selling purposes has been drenched in water. This flood has really caused us hardship.”
Another resident, who identified simply as Mama, noted that the community hardly experiences flooding except on a few occasions when the dam is opened. She lamented that the recent flooding has displaced them from their homes and caused damage to their properties.
Mama said, “We hardly experience flooding in this community except when the dam is opened. This one that they opened recently really affected us. As you can see, everywhere is flooded. Some people have even fled their houses with the hope to return when the water goes down.”
The community leader, Kelani Bashir, noted that the community started experiencing flooding when a bridge was constructed over the river, which required the dredging of some parts of the river. He lamented that several efforts made to get the government to reconstruct a water channel that can help to channel the water have proved abortive.
Bashir said, “The problem of flooding started when a bridge was constructed over the Ogun River to ease movement, but during the construction, dredging was made to pave the way for water flow, and since then, that has been the point through which our community gets flooded.
“The flooding often affects most of the houses in the lowland area in this community, and we have made several appeals to the government to help us see to this situation, but it has not yielded any positive result.”
He appealed to Governor Abiodun to help reconstruct the drainage channel between the river and the community to prevent flooding caused by the river’s overflow.
“If our government can help us reconstruct the drainage channel that is between the community and the river by making it taller, it will prevent water from flooding our community. Governor Abiodun should please come to our rescue,” he concluded.
When contacted, the Press Officer, Ogun State Ministry of Environment, Rotimi Oduniyi, noted that residents in flood-prone areas have been forced to move to uplands so as to avoid casualties, but they have been adamant. He noted that an assessment team will be deployed to the community immediately for necessary actions.
“There is a surge in the river currently, which is occasioned by the recent rainfall and the release of water from the dam. We have warned people living in the river area to locate to the upland so as to avoid casualties. We also set up a camp where they can relocate but most of these people do not yield to government warnings. The ministry will deploy an assessment team to the community for necessary actions”, Oduniyi disclosed.
