Construction is progressing rapidly on a 1.2-kilometre hydraulic drainage project in Ozuomee, Urualla, in Ideato North LGA of Imo State, where residents have long grappled with severe erosion and flooding that threaten to isolate their community.
The project was initiated weeks ago, following the intervention of the representative of Ideato Federal Constituency, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, who came after local residents raised the alarm in May over worsening flood conditions.
The project has now reached over 60 per cent completion following the lawmaker’s intervention.
According to community members, the only major access road was at risk of being cut off completely, prompting urgent calls for help.
Ugochinyere visited the site shortly after the community’s appeal and announced immediate action to mitigate the flooding. A few days later, the drainage construction was officially flagged off to channel runoff directly into the Urashi River.
“My intervention measure is to construct a 1.2km new drainage just to redirect the water that is causing the heavy flood that is threatening or about to cut the only linking road,” Ugochinyere said during an on-site inspection.
“I am channeling the water—once I finish the drainage—directly to Urashi River, thereby stopping the continued worsening of the erosion, while calling on the Federal Government, Ministry of Works, NDDC, and state government to intervene for a lasting solution.”
The project is also expected to improve road access for local farmers, whose movement and trade have been hampered by years of seasonal flooding and poor infrastructure.
Since assuming office in 2023 after a hotly contested election, Ugochinyere has pushed for federal intervention in several erosion-prone areas across the Ideato constituency, including Umuchima, Oba, Akokwa, and Arondizuogu.
Many of those communities have seen some level of government attention following motions raised on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Local leaders in Ozuomee have expressed cautious optimism as the drainage nears completion. For many, the speed of the intervention contrasts with years of unaddressed infrastructural decay in the region.
