Monarch Charges Ekpeyes On Flooding

Following the collapse of many buildings occasioned by the recent flooding in the state, a traditional ruler from Ula-Upata in the Ahoada East local government area of the state, Chief Clement Ishiaki has called on the people of Ekpeye to discontinue building mud houses in the future.

Chief Ishiaki who was speaking to The Tide over the weekend in his Palace said traditionally in the past, building of mud houses was seen as normal.

On why people embarked on building a mud house with more than ten rooms, roofed with zinc, Chief Ishiaki attributed the development to building on attachment basis.

He however said the Ekpeye people struggle to make ends meet unlike their neighbours who had oil wells and could easily afford to build concrete houses.

He stated that the flood has taught them a lesson and advised that any one who wants to build, should rather start small by moulding blocks and building according to their financial capability.

Chief Ishiaki who is also a known businessman said even though some of the mud houses were plastered with cement, they could not withstand the strong current that the flood came with.

“This flood came with high current and that was why many of the houses want down. “Even through most of them were plastered with cement and no mud house plastered or not can survive such strong current”, he said.

Earlier when our correspondent visited some of the communities, in the LGA including Oyiba, Ikata and Ihubduko mud houses of more than ten rooms complete with fences and gates were already lost to the flood.