4 Die Inside Local Well Over Neglect To Provide Portable Water In Delta State

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Following Delta State Government’s negligence to provide the basic necessities of life to various communities like portable water, it has cost the lives of four young men, who died inside a local water well in the State.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the  residents of Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State were thrown into mourning over the death of the young men on Sunday, who may have died as a result of suffocation from smoke emitted from a water pumping machine.

The location, Ubulu-Uku, is few kilometers to the capital city of Delta State, Asaba, yet they cannot boast of portable water and the community resort to digging of local well to get water in the area.

One of the victims, identified as Onyinye Nwani, whose parents own a local well, had gone into the well with another of his relation, identified as Onyeisi, to pump out dirty water with a fuel powered pumping machine with the ultimate aim of cleaning up the well to hold fresh water in this rainy season.

The late Onyeisi, whose surname is yet unknown, was said to have visited Onyinye Nwani before they embarked on the exercise by going into the well with the pumping machine which emitted deadly smoke soon after pumping had commenced.

After a while, when others suspected that the lives of those inside the well were in danger, two others, namely Emeka Uti and another young man said to be a motor mechanic in the town, offered to go inside the well to rescue those distressed, but unfortunately both of them similarly got suffocated.

The four corpses were later retrieved from the well and was taken to the mortuary for autopsy report over what might have caused their death.

The Chief Security Officer in charge of Ubulu-Uku Vigilante, Chief James Adoh (a.k.a. Jamico), confirmed the incident and said it has shattered the peace of the community.
He said: “The corpses of the four young men have been retrieved from the well and taken by the Police to a mortuary while the whole town has been thrown into a sad state with wailing all over the place by the bereaved families, relations and friends”.

When contacted, Delta Police spokesman, DSP Bright Edafe, said the State Headquarters was yet to be informed about the incident and promised to quickly get in touch with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Ubulu-Uku, where the incident was reported.