The mother of a six-year-old girl recently swept away by flood in Ebonyi has blamed her plight on the government’s inability to provide refuse dumps in their area.
The woman, Vivian Nwonu, who spoke with newsmen in Abakaliki, alleged that the lack of refuse dumps coupled with the neglect of their residential area by the government contracted garbage disposal agency, necessitated their decision to dispose their garbage inside canals during rainfall.
Daberechi Nworie, a Primary 1 pupil of Holy Ghost City Academy, Ntege Street, Azuiyiokwu in Abakaliki metropolis, was on the evening of October 27, 2018 swept away by flood emanating from heavy downpour while she accompanied his brother to dispose refuse in a canal created from a dilapidated culvert in their area.
In an interview at her 5, Awo-Idemmiri Street, Abakaliki, the victim’s mother said she was away for a meeting on that day but became worried on her way back when she saw great number of persons clustering at the mini bridge situated along Nteje Street.
Upon inquiry, she learnt that her own daughter had been carried away in a water current while she trying to evacuate their refuse inside the drain during the rainfall.
She further disclosed that her son, Akachukwu Nworie, the elder brother of Daberechi, was also carried by the water in his quest to rescue his sister, but as God would have it, movement of the water was obstructed by some trees within the canal, which provided a leeway for him to escape the flood unhurt.
She regretted that in spite of her elder brother’s entreaties on the little girl not to follow him to the place, she stubbornly followed him down to the drain area where she was suddenly swept away by the flood .
She lamented: “Shortly after the incident, the boy then raced to their compound and informed people who quickly moved to the scene only to find out that the victim had disappeared within the vicinity because of the force of the flood.
“If not God who saved my son, Master Akachukwu, in his attempt to rescue his sister, I would have lost two children through flood
“We don’t have refuse dumps in this area and government refuse evacuation lorries do not visit here and that is the reason we often dispose garbage inside canals during rainfall.”
Mrs. Nworie appealed for assistance from both the state government and good spirited individuals over her plight.
Meanwhile, some residents of the area, including Angela Nwani and Mary Odua, frowned at the ugly incident and attributed the cause to alleged negligence of the area on the part of government.
They added that the bridge had remained a great threat to life following its dilapidated state, coupled with the fact that governance had not been felt either in terms of infrastructure in the area.
They requested that government should remember them in its infrastructural drives in the State as the area still remains an integral part of the capital city.
Odua said: “There is no refuse dump site in the area for us and secondly, those in charge of refuse evacuation have not for once come around.
“Thus, we want to know our offence.
“So, let our leaders tell us please.”
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