Ebonyi to FG: Complete Ishiagu/Mpu Dam to avert disaster, loss of lives

Ebonyi State Government has called on the Federal Government to immediately revamp and complete the Ishiagu/Mpu Federal dam under construction to avert more loss of lives and properties in the Area.

The Commissioner for Water Resources Ebonyi State, Hon . Nkah Chinedu stated this in Abakaliki while interacting with journalists on the collapse of a section of the dam, which occurred in October, 2024.

He explained that the dam which is located between Ishiagu area in Ebonyi and Mpu in Enugu was designed to mitigate the water problems faced by the people of Ishiagu and Mpu, Okpanku people in Aniri Council area of Enugu state but that the inability of the Federal Government to complete the project at the stipulated time has made it become a death trap to the host communities.

According to him, many homes have been rendered homeless by the uncompleted dam and large portions of farmland destroyed.

“On fallen dam in Ishiagu/Mpu. The dam is causing a very serious disaster. That dam is not completed. It is killing a lot of people. It has taken over a lot of farmlands; Some families have been rendered homeless in Ishiagu and probably in other communities too. But I’m sure that in Ishiagu, a lot of families have been rendered homeless.

“And when rain falls, nobody can pass there. I raised this issue with the National Emergency Agency NEMA and SEMA during the last program we had. It’s a very big disaster.

“And let me also use this opportunity to draw the attention of the federal government to complete that project.
It is very, very important because the disaster is causing us so much. Now with a section of it falling, we expect more havoc next year. “ he said.

The water Commissioner maintained that the government of Governor Francis Nwifuru was working assiduously day and night to ensure that water is reticulated in every part of the state in the first quarter of the next fiscal year.

He urged Ebonyi people to avoid destroying water pipes in the course of building houses as such is drawing the good programs and policies of the government backwards.