Yusuf Oketola
RESIDENTS of Okinni in Egbedore local government area of the State of Osun have called on the state government to dredge Aigbe stream in the area for free flow of water in preparatory for the full blast of the raining season.
The residents noted that the stream was full of debris which blocked the waterway, thereby causing erosion whenever it rained.
The Aigbe stream takes its source from Ayekale, Olude area of Oke-Onitea and flows directly to Okinni.
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OSUN DEFENDER visited the community on Wednesday and observed that buildings close to the stream are affected by erosion caused by the blockage of the stream’s channel.
The medium gathered that erosion has forced some of the people out of the area as residents find it difficult to come into the community whenever it rained.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a victim of the erosion, Engr. Abdulazeez Adetunji, stated that the blockage of the stream’s channel has resulted into erosion coming directly into their homes.
This, according to him, has caused damages to their properties.
Adetunji stressed that the community had written letters on three different occasions to the administration of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola on the need to dredge the stream, but nothing was done.
He claimed that the community lacked financial capacity to embark on full dredging of the stream for free flow of water.
Adetunji added that motorcyclists had on many occasions stuck in the erosion and lost their motorcycles in the cause, calling on the state government to intervene to avert future occurrences.
He said: “The Aigbe stream is totally blocked and this is preventing the free flow of water. Whenever it rained, erosion flows directly into our homes. The situation is excruciating and we cannot bear it again.
“It is about four years now that the erosion from the stream has been coming into my house. Whenever it rained, flood from the stream usually disrupt vehicular movement and people won’t be able to come into the community for days.
“I have made a lot of efforts on my own to dredge it with shovel every dry season for easy flow of water. But it is not enough. The flood continues to wreak havoc as the community keep to expanding.
“The community does not have the financial capacity to get dredging machine to dredge the stream. It is really excruciating. We find it difficult to come into the community whenever the stream is full.
“We wrote letters to the administration of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola on three different occasions since 2021 but we didn’t get any response from the government.
“Motorcyclists usually trapped in the flood and their motorcycles will be flooded away. All the Houses around the stream are affected. We can’t stay indoor whenever it’s raining. The flood also flow down to the main road”. Adetunji stated.
