CALABAR – Barely one month after the Cross River State Government announced it had carried out “mechanised desilting” of major drainage channels to avert flooding, residents of Archibong Ika Street in Efut Uwanse, Calabar South, say their homes and streets remain underwater, raising questions about the effectiveness of the state’s flood prevention strategy NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
In a viral video recorded on Tuesday, an anonymous resident wading inside the flood water, standing beside the CRUTECH (now UNICROSS) Quarters, showed floodwater covering the entire street, penetrating homes and forcing parents to carry their children on their backs to school.
“This is what we are going through in this Archibong Ika Street by UNICROSS Quarters, flood day in day out, flood day in day out,” a voice said in the video uploaded by influencer Kandy Umoh. “This flood you are seeing has penetrated into our homes. We are now using rainboot, rainboot in and out. Please come and rescue us, please come and rescue us.”
The video also captured students wading through the muddy water. “These are students trying to go to school, these are their parents carrying them. This is detrimental,” the voice added.
The footage featured a young man carrying another grown man whom he identified as a law student on the back. The unidentified man made an emotional appeal: “Sir, look at what is happening to us in Calabar South. This is the baddest (sic) act today. This is a law student. A law student at that matter…”
The flooding came despite assurances by the state government in April 2026 that it had commenced “mechanised desilting” of Channel 1, a major drainage artery in Calabar South, to prevent the annual flood disaster. At the time, officials claimed the operation would clear blockages and allow free flow of water.
However, residents say no meaningful relief has reached their streets.
In a comment accompanying the video, Ubong Akpan noted that the problem extends beyond Archibong Ika Street. “Please let’s talk about the student area as well. Flood is taking up houses and no drainage system – the whole area behind the school, Usoro streets and others are suffering,” Akpan wrote. “Yet it is student population that is making businesses grow in the area and as well a source of revenue, but we can’t just have good drainage system yet house rents are on high demand.”
Another resident, Mfreke Usen, described the situation as an “Urgent intervention required: flooding and environmental hazard in Efut Efio Ene behind UNICROSS, Calabar.”
The current crisis echoes a similar pledge made in 2025, when the Commissioner for Environment Moses Osogi reportedly promised that the drainage would be fixed during the next dry season. That promise, residents say, remains unfulfilled.
As of the time of this report, the state government had not issued any statement responding to the fresh flooding or the video appeal.
However, Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Otu recently raised concerns over the recurring flood disasters affecting the state, describing the situation as a growing ecological threat requiring urgent and coordinated intervention from all levels of government.
He made this remark while receiving the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar and her delegation, including Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness, Honourable Joseph Bassey, during a courtesy visit as part of the 2026 National Flood Preparedness and Awareness Campaign, Governor Otu said flooding had remained a painful and persistent challenge for many communities across the state.
“Flooding has continued to confront our state year after year, and it is already common knowledge that Cross River remains one of the high-risk states in the country,” the Governor stated. “As far back as 2019, I had engagements with relevant authorities on the need for proactive measures to mitigate the devastating impact of these floods, but unfortunately the problem has persisted.”
Governor Otu lamented that several intervention projects initiated to address the menace were either abandoned or left incomplete, thereby worsening the plight of affected communities.
According to him, investigations had earlier revealed plans for drainage systems and flood channels designed to effectively manage the release and movement of excess water, but the projects were never fully realized.
“There was supposed to be a dam system and proper drainage channels that would collect and redirect water whenever releases occurred, but somehow those projects were not completed,” he said. “The consequence is that communities directly along these flood corridors continue to suffer repeated destruction of homes, farmlands and livelihoods.”
The Governor warned that beyond the immediate destruction caused by flooding, the recurring disasters now posed broader environmental dangers capable of destabilizing the ecosystem if decisive action was not taken. “What we are witnessing is no longer just seasonal flooding; it is gradually becoming an ecological problem with far-reaching implications for our environment and the survival of vulnerable communities,” he added.
He therefore called on the Federal Government and relevant intervention agencies to expedite action on critical flood control infrastructure across the state, stressing that proper drainage systems and ecological remediation projects would significantly reduce the impact of flooding on residents.
