By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
A heavy downpour that took residents of Port Harcourt by storm on Thursday evening put the city on standstill.
The heavy rain caused traffic gridlocks in the city of Port Harcourt, thereby compounding the woes of motorists most of whom have waited for hours to buy fuel at various petrol stations.
The long queues at the filling stations were as a result of the fuel scarcity believed not to be unconnected with the impure fuel imported into Nigeria last week.
Port Harcourt filling stations are still selling good fuel. But long queues at the petrol stations were first noticed in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, as vehicle owners engaged in what could be described as panic buying.
On-the-spot checks revealed that the heavy downpour, which started at about 5:24 p.m. on Thursday evening, led to widespread traffic jams in the Garden City almost on all the roads and major junctions, as drivers struggled to navigate through every available space.
The situation was worse in places where road or flyover projects are ongoing, such as Ikoku in Mile 2, Diobu, Ogbum nu Abali/Eastern By-Pass, Rumukalagbor by Aba Road/Olu Obasanjo and Rumuokwurusi by Tank axes of Port Harcourt.
TOCN, which was on hand to witness the situation at Location Junction at NTA Road, observed that the gridlock was out of the ordinary, as vehicles, both cars and buses as well as big lorries, competed for spaces through which to manoeuvre and proceed on their journeys.
Were it not for the energetic traffic warden who overworked himself trying to ensure sanity by controlling the vehicles when the rain subsided a little, the confusion caused by the gridlock would have lasted for long.
The traffic stretched from the junction to as far as Mgbuoba market towards the Rumuokwuta axis. In the Ada George direction, vehicles lined up from Location Junction to as far as Market Square supermarket while the NTA-Ozuoba axis also witnessed a long queue of vehicles locked in the traffic jam.
Apart from the traffic gridlock caused around the city, the heavy rainfall, as usual, also led to serious flooding in many areas. The high flood-prone areas such as Diobu, Rumuigbo, some parts of Ada George and NTA Road, all recorded intense flooding.
At Nkanma Close by Okilton Junction (Rumuokwuta axis), its nearby Eke Street, Aganorlu Street near Mgbuoba Market and done other streets off NTA Road, people were seen removing their footwears and folding their trousers to be able to walk through the flood. Some small cars had a difficult time plying through the flooded streets.
But while many residents were not happy because of the flooding caused by the heavy downpour, some others saw it as a blessing.
For instance, one woman was heard saying: “Thank God for this rain o. At least person go sleep well this night. Mosquito no go worry person again.”
