The Osun State Government has said it is responding to flooding and infrastructure damage recorded across parts of the state after several days of heavy rainfall.
The downpour affected communities in the Osogbo metropolis, including Ayekale, Famson Area, Oke Baale, Sasa and Ilesa Garage, while several communities around Ilesa also experienced flooding.
At Muroko Road in Ilesa, the overflow of the Ora River caused flooding, while a bridge linking Ijaaregbe with Ilesa was damaged after heavy rainfall, disrupting movement between the community and the city centre.
Ijana, Ibala, Ayegunle, Idooko and Eesun Ijesa were also affected, with residents reporting difficulties moving people and goods.
Residents in Ayekale, including Akin Olugbodi and Shekinat Olaegbe, said they lost belongings to flooding following heavy rain on Friday.
Olaegbe said a blocked water channel contributed to the flooding, leaving residents concerned about further damage as rainfall continued.
The Olomu of Ijaaregbe, Oba Edward Adetimo, said the bridge connecting his community to Ilesa was damaged during a downpour around midnight.
He said the House of Assembly member representing Obokun State Constituency, Adewumi Adeyemi, visited the area on Monday with others to assess the damage. According to the monarch, residents were told that officials from the Ministry of Works would visit the following day to provide a temporary solution pending reconstruction.
Adetimo said the damage had already affected schoolchildren who could not travel to Ilesa on Monday and appealed for urgent government intervention.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Adejoorin, said the government had taken preventive measures against flooding before the rainy season, including dredging waterways and public sensitisation against dumping refuse in drainage channels.
He described flooding during periods of prolonged heavy rainfall as a seasonal challenge but said the situation had not reached an uncontrollable level in Osun.
Adejoorin said the damage to the bridge and box culvert connecting Ilesa with the affected neighbouring communities fell primarily under the Ministry of Works, which he said had begun responding to the situation.
You Might Also Like
