Amaokpala Lake
Amaokpala is one of the towns that make up Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State. The community is blessed with a Lake called Iyi ocha. This Iyi ocha is the popular Amaokpala Lake. The name Iyi means water and Ocha means neat/clean. The water is so neat that one can see the floor of the lake. According to its name, it abhors any form of dirt in it. The Lake flows free and empties in the popular Odo River. It is geographical coordinates read: Latitude -6.066940 and Longitude-7.1064.
Amaokpala Lake
Interactive session with Mr Okeke Boniface chief priest of Amaokpala Lake
The Lake has socio-cultural and socio-economic value to the people. The deity in charge of the Lake is feed by a chief Priest who must come from the royal lineage. This was attributed to the fact that it was the family of the King of Amaokpala that first received the stranger that brought the lake from his beard. The history surrounding the source of the lake is worthy of study. Secondly, the lake is filled with fishes and the Amaokpala people have been fishing in the Lake.
Students of Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State frequent the Lake because of its proximity to their institution. It has been a centre of picnic and site seeing. It does not have crocodile but one can get drown in the Lake if he/she does not know how to swim, so swimming is encouraged if one is good at it because the Lake is yet to be developed there are no divers for rescue operation if one gets missing but the Lake is a beautiful sight to behold with alluring green vegetation surrounding it. The community members help to keep it by only using a designated section of the lake for washing their edible like bread fruit (Ukwa), bitter leaf (Onubu), cassava (Akpu), etc.
Issues
A. Why is Amaokpala Lake undeveloped till now?
B. Can Public Private Partnership assist in its development?
C. What is the community view about the status of the Lake?
D. Is Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation aware of this beautiful Lake?
E. What is the effort of Anambra state government on this Lake so far?
It is indeed a lake which needs to be developed. I think despite its beauty and how filled it is with fish yet undeveloped is due to the fact that it has not been exposed...
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a lake which needs to be developed. I think despite its beauty and how filled it is with fish yet undeveloped is due to the fact that it has not been exposed...
ReplyDelete