The Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) has begun the construction of an N220 million Erosion Control Drainage system along the Lokoja-Abuja road in Kogi to mitigate flooding.
“This is the sequel to the yearly flooding that has been ravaging the highways around Koton Karfe in Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi,” HYPPADEC Managing Director (MD), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq-Yelwa, said in Koton Karfe, Kogi.
Speaking at the official handing over of the Erosion Control Project site to the contractors, Atimpsuda Integrated Services Limited, Yelwa said that the project was aimed at addressing the hardship motorists and commuters encounter during raining season.
“This project is part of HYPPADEC efforts toward addressing the perennial flooding of the Lokoja-Abuja highway and highly flood-prone Koton-Karfe communities in Kogi.
“It is pathetic that year-in, year-out, commuters and motorists, as well as members of the Koton-Karfe community, have continued to suffer untold hardship with loss of lives, property, and means of livelihood to flooding.
“It is also our hope that this silt-removing erosion control project covering about 500m, awarded at a cost of N220 million to Atimpsuda Integrated Services Limited will bring an end to the unfortunate hardships, ” he said.
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Yelwa, who is the Garkuwan-Igu, assured the people of the state that the project would be completed within eight weeks.
Mr. Victor Omofaiye, the State Commissioner for Environment, expressed gratitude for the pragmatic step taken by HYPPADEC to help address the flooding challenge being experienced around Koton Karfe.
He noted that Kogi was strategically located and that “flood will always come when we least expect, which calls for mitigation measures to be taken more so that NiMET predicted worse flood this year.”
Omofaiye said that Gov. Yahaya Bello-led administration has embarked on an afforestation program as part of measures to mitigate flooding and erosion menace across the 10 most affected Local Government Areas of the state.
Earlier speaking at the palace of Ohimege-Igu of Koton-Karfe, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Sani Isah-Koto, told the managing director that the timely intervention of the commission would go a long way in allaying the fears of the people.
Isah-Koto appealed to the commission and the contractor to ensure that the project was completed within the time frame to avoid any trace of flood within his domain and Kogi as a whole this year.
