Cross Rivers construction work grounds NIWA area office

Business activities at the Calabar Area Office of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, has been grounded for months following construction work embarked upon by the Cross River State government, making the area office inaccessible for its workers and clients.

The construction work at Diamond Hill Hope Wadal, opposite the Governor’s Office has led to the office being flooded with water and mud for months following water diversion from a project.

NIWA Calabar Area Office Manager, Engr. Rufus O. Ogbonlato, said the excavation/removal of the top soil since May, 2016 at the construction site has blocked the existing drainages.

The Area Manager said the impact of the water and mud inflowing to the Area Office has denied NIWA staff and clients access to the Area office as sand has taken over the jetty, security post and damaged some portions of the fence and reducing the waterfront from 7.8 meters deep to about 2.5-3.5 meters which is dangerous for maritime activities.

A statement signed by the General Manager Corporate Affairs Manager of NIWA, Tayo Fadile, noted that Ogbonlato explained that several letters were written to the Executive Governor of Cross River, Ben Ayade, on 26^th May, 2016, 22^nd July, 2016, 13^th February, 2017 and 19^th March, 2017 but no response was gotten.

According to him, “The project as it is being carried out now is making life difficult for staff of NIWA and making the Area office in Calabar inaccessible and the Cross River State Government should address this issue as quickly as possible to bring back normalcy.

NIWA Calabar Area Officer Manager alleged that the Contractor Daiik Engineering did not carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which is contrary to the environmental impact Assessment, Decree No. 86 of 1992.

He noted that if they had done an EIA on the project, they would not have done the job during the raining season due to the topography of the area.

He said that NIWA spent about one million naira (N1,000,000.00) was spent last year to evacuate the sand.

He therefore urged the Cross River State government to urgently construct drainages, open the blocked existing ones to enable the water flow through the normal channel, he noted.