Flooding : Wide Jubilations as HYPPADEC Set to deliver Akpankiti River channel project to Kotonkarfe community in Kogi.
There was wide jubilations across the ancient town of Kotonkarfe in Kogi local Government areas as the Hydroelectric Power Producing Development Commission HYPPADEC is set to hand over the 620meters River Akpankiti channel project to the people in order to mitigate the yearly flooding in the area.
The people who could not hold back their joy when the officials of the Hyppadec on Saturday inspected the multi million naira drainage control project in Kotonkarfe.
Speaking on behalf of the community , chief Umar Adam commended the management of Hyppadec and the federal government for coming to the aid of the community to construct concrete channel on the Akpankiti river , which runs through the town has for long season become source of sorrow , rather than a blessing to the community .
He said, the establishment of Hyppadec was a blessing to the community which has tamed the monster of flooding caused by the river that has been destroying their property, causing traffic logjam as it often overflow its bank into the Kotonkarfe section of the Abuja- Lokoja highway.
He added that with the commitment of the management and the contractor to its early completion , the people are hopeful that the predicted 2023 flooding will not cause havoc for the community.
He appeal to the Management of the Hyppadec under the able leadership of the Managing Director, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa to as a matter of urgency approve the construction of concrete lining of the remaining sections of the channel .
Meanwhile, the Consultant to the commission, Engineer, Abubakar Mohammed Dakingari , has assured the people that the project would be delivered earlier than schedule, stressing that the work has achieved 78% completion.
He said the first phase of the contract was 620meters , both for excavation and desilting , while some specific areas would be concrete lining with 6meter by I,5meters high stressing that, without the dumping of refuse in the drains by the community,the menace of floods will be a thing of the past in the town.
He said based on the budget approved for the project, the contract was planned to do concrete lining of 160meters over the length of the drains which will be separated in so many sections in a sense that the adjoining structures, culvert and areas prune to heavy erosion, would be concrete lined.
According to him, what supposed to be done to control the floods has be done by clearing the waterways to enable free flow of water into the river Niger which will no longer pose a threat to the community.
He noted that the pace of work has been encouraging as the contractor has achieved over 78% completion rate in just three weeks out of the schedule eight weeks ,assuring that the remaining 22% would be completed before the contractual period of completion.
” With all indications, we will deliver the project before the regular time. In most cases , the challenge facing project of this nature is sometimes with the community. We want the people to avoid dumping refuse in the channel, because once it is blocked , it will go back to the same problem and our fears is with the people not to turn the channel into a refuse dump.
He commended the contractor for working according to specification which has giving fillip to total eradication of flood in the area.
In the same vein, the site engineer , Engineer, Ben Ola, said if not the constant downpour of rains, which often affect their operation , the job would have been completed earlier than now.
He said the community are enthusiastic about the pace and quality of work, which led to the demand to add two meters on the bridge linking to the high way even though it was not in the bill of quantity, the company decided to do so for them as its corporate social responsibility.
He commended the Hyppadec for the project which will have a long lasting effect on the people, while appealing to them to ensure that the remaining portions that are to be concrete lined to be reappraised to permanently control the menace
Recall that last month, Hyppadec flag off the construction of the channelisation of the river in Kotonkarfe at a contract sum of #220m to Atimpsuda integrates services at a delivery period of eight weeks.
Those on the inspection include, State coordinator, Engineer Joan Oguche, Director of Administration and finance , Haruna Kabir and Director of Engineering of the commission
