By Uchenna Obiekezie
As the rains intensify, the Cross River State Government, through the Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA), carried out a desilting exercise on the Channel 1 drainage system along the Goldie-Target axis in Calabar.
The operation is aimed at clearing blocked waterways to reduce the risk of flooding in the area.
The exercise covers drainage channels linking Channel View, Mobile MCC, WAPI Junction, Diamond area, State Housing, and extends through Goldie–Target to CRUTECH axis.
Speaking in an interview with Hit FM, the Executive Secretary of CUDA, Dr Ayi Etim Effiong, explained that the operation is part of efforts to clear blocked waterways and reduce the risk of flooding in the state.
Dr Effiong noted that the Goldie–Target drainage is one of the major flood-prone areas, adding that Cross River State has been identified as one of the cities vulnerable to flooding.
He also stated that the initiative reflects the governor’s commitment to ensuring a clean and healthy environment under what he described as a “government by the people, for the people” agenda.
The Secretary further revealed that the agency has not encountered major challenges in the current operation, noting that similar desilting work was last carried out in the area in 2023 after several years of neglect.
He explained that the exercise is a periodic operation usually carried out around this time of the year, and it is being done with the use of heavy-duty machinery rather than manual labour.
“Failure to maintain drainage systems regularly could lead to flooding” he said, which in the past has resulted in the loss of property and disruption of business activities in affected areas.
Also speaking, a former councillor of Ward 1 in Calabar South and resident of the area, Hon. Mike Eyo, described the project as a very serious and commendable intervention by CUDA.
“The work being done between Mora by Target and Ibito Lane is impressive,” he said, noting that the area had long suffered from neglected drainage issues.
Hon. Eyo stated that the project addresses a long-standing challenge that dates back to the administration of former Governor Donald Duke.
He added that nothing significant was done in the area during the eight-year tenure of former Governor Ben Ayade.
He further remarked that in nearly 15 years, the drainage had not received proper attention until the current intervention, which he said has brought relief and joy to residents of the community.
