The Chairman of Hydro Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Terfa Ityav, pledged to complete the 1.2 kilometer drainage under construction in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, before the rains set in.
The HYPPADEC Chairman who disclosed this during an inspection exercise conducted to ascertain the level of projects in the state, noted that the project has reached about 89 percent completion.
In recent years, Benue state has been affected by floods which have displaced a huge percentage of Benue residents particularly in the state capital, Makurdi and other local governments.
The causes of the flood have been traced to incessant rains and the over flow of the river Benue.
The Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission is charged with the responsibility of managing ecological challenges due to operations of dams and other hydroelectric power activities.
HYPPADEC has constructed a formidable drainage system expected stand the test of time and check the perennial issues of flooding in the state capital
The canal, if completed, would go a long way to tackle the perennial flooding in Makurdi and its environs.
The HYPPADEC Chairman who had also inspected classroom blocks and borehole projects in Makurdi, Tarka and Buruku Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state, observes that the agency is providing the benefiting communities with their basic needs, following a needs assessment conducted by the Commission to determine their needs.
The Chairman of HYPPADEC Project Monitoring Committee, Saleh Kanam said community participation was vital in maintaining such projects in order to complement what the Commission has done.
While he states that benefiting communities should take ownership of projects in their domain, Kanam sues for collaborative efforts with sister agencies in the state to sensitize the public, particularly in mitigating flood-related issues.
Earlier, the HYPPDEC Chairman, Barr Terfa Ityav had commissioned the HYPPADEC office complex in Makurdi.
