About Oguta and Orashi river in Imo state
In Imo State, there are two angry rivers flow
side-by-side without ever coming together, namely Oguta Lake and Orashi river.
Water flows into it mainly from the Njaba river and to
a lesser degree, the Uju, Awbana and Urashi rivers.
It is two of these rivers that flow side-by-side,
parallel to each other, without ever coming together.
Oguta Lake is a lean finger lake formed by the damming
of the lower Njaba river, it is the largest natural lake, it is popularly known
as Ogbuide while
Orashi is a river of the lower Niger River basin, and
a tributary of Oguta Lake and they are both in Imo State, Southeastern Nigeria
The
Mystery behind Orashi and Ogbuide: 2 Igbo Rivers that cannot come together no
matter how you try.
However the Lake Consist of two very angry
rivers, called Orashi and Ogbuide. The two rivers can never mix no matter how
you try, and they also has different colour. Orashi is muddy in colour while
Ogbuide is greenish in colour.
These two rivers are close to each other, but
they have never come together. A lot of people have tried to mix them together,
but they always separate. If you put the both of them in a bucket they will
seperate in the bucket, and if you put them in a smaller bucket or cup, they
will split or break the cup into two.
According to Scientist, they said that the two rivers cannot mix because
they have different density and huge distinction in temperature and because of
that they cannot mix, and if you try to force them their seperate density will
split them apart.
However legends have another reason why the
both rivers can never mix.
According to the Igbo legends, many years ago
the both rivers named Orashi and Ogbuide, were both humans couple. Orashi was a
man and Ogbuide was a woman, they were married and they were so much in love,
but one day they had a very big fight and they became very angry with each
other. The both of them separated, and they reincarnated into the two rivers,
and There are two separate shrines where worshippers invoke and offer
supplication to them; one on each side of the river. The quarrel does not affect places of worship, and worshipers
can call on either deity from any of the two shrines, But those liberties do
not extend to every area.
Even as it stays hidden in
a corner of Imo, Oguta is a major attraction and every year, thousands come to
visit, including some who do not understand the efficacy of its legends.
Sometimes, the couple is
taken for granted and the inexplicable happens.
It has
been this way as long as people remembered.
The people of Oguta and
the communities that surround it, know the lake as a source of transport, food,
and sustenance. For them, the natural wonder is an integral part of their
lives.
The lake was also used as a base by the Nigerian Navy
during the war. There are reports that remnants of old Biafran war boats can be
found in various areas of the lake.
It is things like this that make Oguta lake unique.
Now, as a new generation lives around the lake, the
mystery of the two rivers, its history as an important part of the Biafran war
and many unanswered questions about its past remain.
They are why Oguta Lake and its immediate environment
deserve a facelift if for no reason, to preserve one of the many wonders that
Nigeria is so blessed with.
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