By Evelyn Obibi-Assay,
Ahead of the peak of the rainy season, the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) has intensified its flood prevention efforts, opened more blocked canals and drained while evacuating accumulated waste across its mandate areas.
While heavy rains are yet to fully set in, DESOPADEC has continued its massive de-silting exercise, moving from clearing clogged drainage channels to evacuating debris and restoring the free flow of water.
In Sapele Local Government Area on Friday, June 25, 2026, the exercise continued across several locations as pay loaders, trucks, swamp buggies, and hired artisans worked to remove waste and clear blocked waterways.
At Akintola Road and Okpe Road, waste removed from drains was evacuated as equipment worked continuously, while artisans cleared both sides of Izu Road to improve drainage flow. Similar activities were carried out along Lawrence Road, where blocked drains were opened up.
At New Ogorode Road, a DESOPADEC Media reporter observed the deployment of a swamp buggy to clear a heavily silted canal section, after which work continued on the opposite side of the waterway.
A resident of Izu Road, Mrs Marian Umudjane, praised DESOPADEC for the intervention, saying the exercise would help reduce flooding, mosquito infestation, and unpleasant odours caused by stagnant water.
She particularly commended the clearing of drains around the Anglican Church area on Okpe Road, noting that residents had endured years of flooding challenges.
“I want to commend DESOPADEC for this exercise taking place here in Sapele. For the past few days, I have been seeing the artisans clearing drains in the environment. I'm particularly happy with the one done at Okpe Road by the Anglican Church. Those people were really going through a lot from the flooding in that area. They will be eternally grateful to DESOPADEC for coming to their rescue,” she said.
Mrs Umudjane also appreciated Mrs Franciscan Atigan, the supervisor from the Delta State Ministry of Environment overseeing the operation, for her commitment on ground, while appealing for the extension of the exercise to areas behind Lawrence Road and Okpalumeh.
Also speaking, a business owner at Lawrence Road, Elder Patrick Uwaletan, said it was the first time the drains had been properly cleaned since they were constructed in 2019, expressing appreciation to the State Government and DESOPADEC while urging that the exercise be sustained.
The ongoing intervention follows the directive of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and flood warnings from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), with DESOPADEC moving proactively to reduce the impact of flooding before the rains intensify.
The Commission’s flood control operations have so far covered Ndokwa East and West, Ika North and South, Ughelli North and South, Uvwie, Sapele, and Ethiope West, with Isoko North and South next on the schedule.
