Following heavy rain in Osun State, many residents are calling on the government to act fast. The rain caused flooding in several communities, and people are worried about losing their belongings.
From Friday to Monday, the rainfall was particularly heavy. This led to flooding in parts of Osogbo, including Ayekale, Famson Area, Oke Baale, Sasa, and Ilesa Garage.
Our checks showed that Muroko Road in Ilesa was flooded because the Ora River overflowed. Also, the bridge connecting Ijaaregbe town to Ilesa was damaged. This cut off Ijaaregbe from the city after hours of rain on Monday.
Other areas like Ijana, Ibala, Ayegunle, Idooko, and Eesun Ijesa also faced flooding. This made it hard for people to move goods and services around.
Two residents from Ayekale, Akin Olugbodi and Shekinat Olaegbe, said they lost property due to flooding after the heavy rain on Friday. Olaegbe, who is a widow, told The PUNCH on Monday, "I lost valuables to flooding and many houses were flooded after heavy rain in Osogbo last Friday. The water channel in our area is blocked and a few hours of rain made the water overflow its boundary.
“We live in fear of another flooding at any moment. It has been raining in our area in the last three hours. The government will need to act quickly.”
The Olomu of Ijaaregbe, Oba Edward Adetimo, also spoke about the flooding in his area. He told The PUNCH on Monday that the bridge to Ilesa was damaged after the heavy rain.
“The collapse of the bridge was caused by the heavy downpour at midnight. This morning (Monday), the House of Assembly member for Obokun State Constituency, Hon. Adewumi Adeyemi, and others came to see the situation.
“They assured us that officials from the Ministry of Works will visit tomorrow to provide a temporary fix until full repairs are done. Our children who go to school in Ilesa could not attend today. We appeal to the state government to help us quickly,” the monarch said.
When we contacted the Osun State Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Adejoorin, he stated that the government had already taken steps to prevent flooding.
“The issue of flooding happens every season when there is heavy rain. It has never gotten out of control in Osun State.
“The reason is that the state government has been proactive. The Ministry of Environment and Sanitation always takes preventive steps before the rains start. These include dredging waterways to allow water to flow easily and creating awareness to stop people from dumping waste in waterways.
“The recent flooding and the damage to the bridge and box culvert that connects Ilesa with Ijaaregbe, Ijana, Ibala, Ayegunle, Idooko, and Eesun Ijesa is mainly the responsibility of the Ministry of Works. I know they have started working on it right away,” Adejoorin added.
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