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Delta communities raise the alarm over dredging activities

By Monday Osayande, Asaba
16 February 2022   |   2:40 am
Former Special Assistant, Technical, Delta State Ministry of Water Resources Development, Sylvester Oru, has raised the alarm over ongoing dredging activities in Umutu and Umuaja communities

[FILES] Delta State. Photo/facebook/DSGovernment/

Former Special Assistant, Technical, Delta State Ministry of Water Resources Development, Sylvester Oru, has raised the alarm over ongoing dredging activities in Umutu and Umuaja communities, Ukwuani council of Delta State.

Oru, an engineer, revealed that the communities are in danger of earthquake due to such activities and advised that the work be stopped immediately.

He said dredging of the river is not acceptable because of the danger it poses to the people and the ecology.

He told journalists during a visit to the site that the mechanical dredging of the source of any river was delicate and should not be contemplated by any group or individual because of the after effect on the host community.

He added that the dredging has the capacity of destroying the aesthetic value and tourism potentials of the twin communities.

According to him, the river sources, the Akuku-Agbor Platoon, Idemili, Igbudu-Aka platoons and others formed the recharge basins that receives the rainwater into the ground, which eventually finds its weakest point of discharge at Umuaja community.

He said: “This issue is bothering on River Ethiope source, it is also an environmental issue but we are concerned more on how it affects the hydrogeology, which is really critical. The river began as an artisan and natural spring water coming from a source that flows down the slope like a river to connect with the Atlantic Ocean. The water is collected as an underground reservoir on a bedrock of thick layers of clay and stones that cannot allow the water to penetrate below it, giving birth to River Ethiope, Ughelli River, Ossisa River and others.

“Now, when the dredgers move to this location, which is the source of the river, and as they mine these sands and stones, the base is being washed off. If they begin to do dredging there, they will displace the sand formation from the subsurface at very great pressure, this will lead to the demolition of the artisan spring and those living in the areas around Umutu and Umuaja are sitting on a time bomb.” Other residents in the communities including Mrs. Angela Chukwudi, lamented the devastating impact of the dredging on their daily activities and called on the government to come to their aide.

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