Rainfall Washes Off Newly Constructed Road in Anambra

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Heavy rainfall last Monday evening has washed off a road in Ochanja area of Onitsha, Anambra State, which was recently constructed and inaugurated by the state Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo.

A viral video of the road by a resident of the area showed a badly damaged road, while the person who made the video said the area was a newly constructed and launched road in Onitsha.

But the state Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, in a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, described the video as misinformation.

He said: “We categorically state that these claims are not true.

“Following the heavy rainfall on March 25, 2024, which uprooted trees, downed electrical poles, and damaged public infrastructure across the state, a section of the Ochanja-Iweka road, currently under construction, was also impacted.

“Contrary to the misrepresentations of the viral video and accompanying insinuations, the washed-out area of the road is less than two feet of recently asphalted pavement. Besides, the Ochanja-Iweka Road remains an active construction site, with work ongoing even during the heavy downpour.”

The governor attributed the condition of the road to insufficient curing time before the heavy rain last Monday.

He added that a silted drainage system caused the accumulation of water that affected the small, unfinished section while the road’s solid stone base, throughout its entire length, remained completely intact.

The statement said: “The trending video deliberately includes misleading footage of a different, already existing road that is not under construction.

“The Ochanja-Iweka Road project is neither finished nor inaugurated by Governor Soludo. He has only inaugurated the Port Harcourt Road and Niger Street Road in Onitsha South LGA, both of which are demonstrably well-built and functional.

“We urge the public to disregard the misinformation campaign accompanying the misleading video. It is a blatant attempt to distort reality and spread fake news.”