Environment
Flood Spreads In Rivers Affects Four LGAs, Renders Thousands Homeless
Over 200,000 persons have been rendered homeless while properties including houses and farmlands are destroyed by flood in four local government areas of Rivers State.
The local government areas are Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Abua/Odual and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas.
Sources within the four local government areas informed The Tide that all the coastal communities especially in Ahoada West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas respectively are under water.
The source further revealed that most of these communities are located in Engenni District of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Ndoni district and Egi kingdom of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas.
According to the source, coastal communities which are under water in Ahoada West Local Governemnt Area are Akinima, the council headquarters, Joinkrama I and II, Ikodi, Akianiso, Igovia, Ususu, Isua, Odau and Edagberi, while in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, all the seven communities in Ndoni District which are Asi Azaga, Isukwa, Otikiri Agwe and Ndoni Main town, in Egi Kingdom. The following communities also affected are: Idu Osobile, Kregeni, Obobouru and others.
Sources revealed that some of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps are already overstretched with the number of internally displaced persons occupying them.
The Tide also leant that some residents are living in makeshift structures as well as engaging in premature harvesting of crops.
According to the source, some of the residents particularly in Mbiama/Ndoni and Akinima now cook outside and sleep on scaffold materials.
An internally displaced person who stays in one of the camps told The Tide via telephone that the camps are in dire need of mosquitoes nets, food items and potable water.
He stressed the need for the government to come to the aid of communities in the area.
A resident of Idu Osobile commuity, Ejeukwu Joezah told The Tide that his people now sleep on roof tops.
He said people now move round the community with the aid of canoes.
Also speaking, the Eze Egi of Ogbaland, HRM Professor Anele Uzondu Wokoma, called for supports to flood ravaged communities in the area.
Also, an IDP in one of the camps, in Ahoada West, Mr. Ogbam Orugba, told The Tide in an interview that he has lost all his farmlands to the flood. “I have lost everything to the flood. All my farmlands including houses are all under water,” he said.
He stressed the need for the government and public spirited individuals to come to the aide of the people.
Another indigene of the area, silver Oku, said most residents of the affected communities have relocated to communities not affected by the incident.
Oku, who hails from Mbiama claimed that most villagers particularly in Mbiama are living in make shift structures, while some schools writing the National Examination Council (NECO) examination are also relocating to higher grounds to continue the examination.
“I can confirm to you that the flood has brought hardship to many people. We cook along the road in Mbiama and sleep on top of scaffold materials,” he said.
Also speaking, Mrs Better Jack Miller, said the women are the worst affected in the incident because they lost all their cassava farms to flood.
“The women are the worst affected because the cassava farms they managed to plant is no more there.
“Infact, people are packing from their homes both women and men,” she said.
She also called on the government to come to the aid of the people of the area.
Meanwhile, the Engenni eminent persons forum, a non-governmental organisation, has lamented the level of destructions caused by perennial flooding in the area.
Chairman of the forum, Dr. Harvey Warman, said the perennial flooding in Engenni kingdom is causing untold hardship to the people.
Warman, however, regretted the lack of support to the people by agencies in charge of disaster management in the country, stressing that despite the billions being voted by both the state and federal government for disaster management in the country, Engennis have not benefitted from it.
According to the elder- statesman, Engenni, which produces 30 per cent of the country’s revenue, is being neglected by successive governments in the country.
Warman, who called on the local, the state and federal governments as well as the Redcross Society to come to the aide of the people, also advised the affected communities to remain resilient assuring that the group would continue to create awareness on their plight.
Meanwhile, the Onueze of Ndoni kingdom, Chief John Ugboma Obi, has likened the current flooding to that of 2012.
He told The Tide that the entire Ndoni kingdom has been submerged by flood.
He also said the road linking the kingdom to the rest of the country has been cut off by water.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has described the incident as one of the worst.
NEMA South South coordinator, Mr Brandon Walson, told The Tide via a telephone interview that roads to most of the affected communities have been cut off by the water.
He also confirmed several destructions caused by the flood.
“I can confirm to you that all the coastal communities especially in two local government areas are under water.
“During our visit to the area, I saw plantain farms destroyed, yam farms destroyed, cassava farms and even okoro farms are all under water.
He said the agency has written to its headquarters for the supply of relief materials for the affected persons and communities.
Walson also told The Tide that they were awaiting response from the chairmen of the four affected local government areas for further assessment of the communities.
Some residents of Port Harcourt and its environs have reacted to the impending flooding in parts of the country, including Rivers state.
It would be recalled that the federal government last week predicted flooding in some states in the country, including Rivers State.
A cross session of residents who spoke to The Tide on the issue said time has come for residents to be careful about the way they managed their waste, especially at this time of the year.
According to them, people must avoid blocking water channels as well as indiscriminate dumping of waste into water channels.
Speaking with The Tide, an Environmentalist, Elder Blessing Jackson Tiko, called for caution by residents of Port Harcourt and its environs
Tiko who was a former deputy operational officer Phalga Environmental Sanitation Taskforce, said people must be conscious of the way and manner that they manage their waste.
“We know that we have the rain and if you watch it is coming especially this month of July,it would rain and rain and rain
“We have to be very conscious of how we manage our environmental system, the way we throw our waste and how we evacuate it so that every where will be open for water to move freely
“Water doesn’t want blockage, water wants free flow, ’he said
Tiko urged state governments to liaise with the federal government and development agencies to dredge and open up river channels to enable Water move freely.
He particularly called on the Niger Delta Basine Development Authority and the Niger Delta Development Commission to liaise with state governments in the quest to end flooding in the states.
Also speaking, Mrs. Alice. A. Alabo a trader at Mile 3 Port Harcourt, urged the state government to do something on the constant flooding at the Abuja bypass in Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt,
She said the bypass is always flooded at every little rainfalls stressing that something must be done about it.
Alabo also told The Tide Correspondents that the Abuja bypass has no receptacles and called on the management of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency to provide receptacles for the people, to ensure proper waste disposal in the area.
“The government should provide us with receptacles for us to properly place our waste which is causing the flooding in the area.
A shop owner Dickey, Livia Marko lemanted the incessant flooding along the Abuja bypass, adding that the situation is affecting their businesses.
“We have been begging the Rivers State Government and the local government to come to our aid.
“The Ego Line Progressive Union contributes N10,000 every year to make sure that we evacuate the drainage.
“We called the Hausa boys to come and clean from the beginning to the end of the tunnel which leads to the Interwoba
“So immediately after each rainfall within 10 minutes it will dry otherwise we cannot stay in our shop.
“I am begging the government to come to our rescue, even if they want to open the gutter or canal. It will help in preventing the flooding or they should clean the gutters starting from Ikwerre Road to the Interwoba axis”, he said
On his part,Mr. Ajaka Olawa, lamented that the flooding in Timber area by Abuja bypass area is so terrible that no businesses can easily be carried on in the area.
He blamed it on the continuous blockage of drainages
. “I can’t remember the last time the government came to clean the drainage, so when it rains we find it difficult to stay here.
“Some of our shops are wet because of the flooding. And if the rain falls heavily, we pack our goods. If not. they get damaged, and I am expecting this message to reach the government for them to do something about it”
“The people, the government gives the job are not being followed up, that’s why the road is still looking bad,
“The government is trying, but they should put more effort to make sure that the jobs are being carried out.
Also, Mr. Chukuma said, during the flooding along Abuja bypass by Timber, no activities take place.
He said that if rain falls, either little or heavy, none can use the road because the road will be inundated by water. Sometimes it takes two to three days for the water to dry.
According to him, eight years ago, the former governor was here to see things for himself, but nothing happened till he left office.
By: Victoria Gilbert / Ossia Victory
Following the rising impact of toxic waste in the Niger Delta communities in Nigeria, an Ecological Think Tank, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, has urged oil-producing communities in the region to monitor their environment and report incidents of pollution or other environmental hazards in real time to appropriate authorities.
The Project Manager, Communities and Culture, HOMEF, Cadmus Atake gave the advice last Friday during a Community Environmental Monitoring Training for the people of Nembe, Town-Brass in Bayelsa and Eastern Obolo, Akwa Ibom States respectively which was held in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Atake said though the extractive activities of oil companies have impacted negatively on the communities, the people still have a role to play in protecting the environment by not throwing plastics in the water bodies or engaging in activities inimical to the environment.
He said, “The purpose is to train the people on how they can monitor their environment that has been impacted by extractive activities, for them to observe the changes that occur in their environment and things they see when they go out to fish.”
Atake also harped on the need for documentation and reporting of the identified environmental challenges or pollution, saying that monitoring without reporting would be an effort in futility even as he tasked them with the accuracy, authenticity and originality of data without any mutilation.
He encouraged people to use mobile phones to take real-time photos and videos without editing the images in the case of pollution or oil spills.
His words, “Reporting is an essential aspect of any monitoring activity. It affords the opportunities to track the activity and its impacts. It makes an activity visible and draws attention to it. Also, it helps to identify associated risks and to know the required controls and learning outcomes needed to prevent the reoccurrence of failures of an activity. No monitoring exercise is complete without a report of observations and a point of action.
“You must identify what caused the pollution, state the name of the community and landmark and if possible, use GPS, time and date the pollution was observed.”
One of the participants, OmusuoDieworio from Bayelsa State noted that apart from the activities of the multinationals, the people have contributed to the disappearance of fishes in the rivers by dumping refuse and plastic wastes inside the river which posed a great threat to fishes even as he urged community leaders to promulgate laws prohibiting that and the youth leaders to ensure the enforcement.
“Our people should be sensitized on the hazards of toxic waste. We should put laws that are binding on us. Our fishermen should discipline themselves enough after drinking sachet water eating should not drop the waterproof inside the water. They should also be discouraged from using dynamite and other chemicals for fishing as all these are harmful to both the aquatic animals and human beings that will consume it.” He said.
Speaking on the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, UmoIsua-Ikoh of the Peace Pact Development Foundation, said the provision in the PIA where the community should forfeit its 3% development fund in case of pipeline vandalism criminalizes the community and should be expunged noting that no community will agree to vandalize pipeline but an individual or a criminal.
He said they should go after anyone who vandalises pipelines and not make the entire community bear the brunt of one person.
On his part, Stephen Oduware, the Program Manager at Fossil Politics, called on the communities to network with CSOs, CBOs, doctors, lawyers, media especially those from their communities and other community members who have the community at heart to advocate at all fronts.
“The community people should partner with CSOs, CBOs so that they will be able to advocate from all fronts from the health implication of this pollution from the legal and human right violations as a result of this pollution, land grabbing and then they will be able to get well-researched works from the academics, we believe that with this network they will be able to push for the justice they needed.” He said.
The Delta State Govern-
ment says it is working hard to tackle the issue of climate change in the state.
Special Adviser to the state Governor on Sustainable Development Goals) (SDGs, Lady Diana Eyo _Enoette, said this in an interview with newsmen during the launching of Green City Project in Port Harcourt.
She said the government was doing this by raising awareness on the impact of climate change in the State and also control the indiscriminate dumping of waste across the State.
Eye-Emoette said government has also setup scouts across the State to embark on tree planting campaign in all nooks and crannies of Delta State.
She said time has come for governments across the Niger Delta region to create more awareness on climate change, adding that continuous human activities in the region have made it vulnerable to climate change
Diana described her government as a leading voice on climate change as far as the Niger Delta region is concerned and stressed the need for other governments in the region to follow suit.
She said Green City’s initiatives have become a potent weapon in fighting climate change, stressing that the initiative is coming at the appropriate time.
The special advise said governments across the country should key into the green city’s projects inorder to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, a university teacher, Professor Magnus Onuoha, has called for conscious efforts by governments across Africa to check carbon emissions.
The university teacher also described the green city’s initiatives as a safe avenue for emerging cities in Africa.
Prof Onuoha, who spoke via videophone described the project as innovative, adding that climate change is real and no longer fallacies.
According to him “it is glaringly telling on our faces and the possibility of it going away is not there”.
He said.
By: John Bibor
