FEAR GRIPS ENUGU COMMUNITIES AS RIVER TURNS TO 'BLOOD'.{PHOTO}.

 

Community members who raised an alarm following the unusual incidence said they suspected that activities of fishermen and bandits may have led to the sudden occurance. However, it was also suspected that an ethanol production company located in Ituku Ozalla area of the state may have dumped waste water into the river.

In a bid to arrest the situation and avoid an epidemic, the state Governor, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi dispatched a team of experts led by his special adviser on water resources, Chief Dubem Onyia on a fact finding visit to the site.

The state government’s team, after their investigation yesterday said that there was indeed a contamination. They however collected water samples for further laboratory test.

The team also discovered that the effluent in question has destroyed all living organisms in the river including fishes. They also discovered that the water body emmited some odour.

Addressing the people of the communities, Chief Onyia who expressed the state government’s concern advised the people of the communities to avoid water from the river.

He assured that the state government was already considering emergency interventions such as drilling of boreholes for the affected communities prior to the river cleanup exercise.

Hon. Onyia disclosed that state government will take further action as soon as laboratory test and more contact tracing are completed.

From Jude Chinedu, Enugu