Flood: Woman, boy swept away in Delta, road cut off

THE ravaging flood has reportedly swept away a lady believed to be in her forties from the Akarai community and a boy from Otuoku, both in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.

The flood, which has also wreaked havoc in Abari, Patani, Aven, Koloware and other towns in Patani Local Government Area and other parts of the State, has cut off the ever-busy Ugbolu/Illah Road in Oshimili North Local Government Area.

Chairman of the council, Mr Juan Amechee Governor who confirmed the developments on Sunday while giving an update on the flood situation in the area, lamented that the flood has overrun the skill acquisition centre in Ashaka, which was earmarked as a holding camp for displaced persons.

Decrying that the flood has so far displaced about 3,260 households in 66 communities across the various wards of the locality, submerging farmlands in the process, Governor sympathised with the families of the two deceased persons.

He said the council has met with the flood committee to review the reports of the flood impact evaluation in the area and to develop a forward plan.

He said: “After briefing the committee members of the meeting held with the Elders Advisory Council and some well-meaning leaders of the LGA about the flood situation and the resolutions reached, the various committees gave their reports. he disclosed.

“Few persons across the Local Government Area have relocated from their communities to relatives and friends in unaffected towns and cities. These persons were evacuated through self-efforts, community efforts and few cases of council assisted evacuation.”

While saying that majority of those affected preferred to stay put because of the need to harvest farm produce; protect properties; lack of alternative space to relocate to, he said; “the state made attempt to set up IDP camp in Ashaka two days ago but flood took over the Ashaka Skill Acquisition Center that was earmarked as Ndokwa East IDP camp. Consequently, the setting up of IDP camp in Ndokwa East Local Government Area was put on hold.

“Some would have relocated to other IDP camps in Kwale, Oleh or Ozoro but accounts of the suffering endured during previous years’ flooding in IDP camps discouraged them from going to any of these camps.

“Some persons felt that it is too late to relocate having endured the hardship for over three weeks into the floods before the setting up of camps was considered.

“Availability of safe heavens where few families can cluster in, especially storey buildings both completed and uncompleted as well as some micro islands in some communities.

“Some persons just resigned to their fate and have no confidence in Government because according to them, it has become an annual occurrence and it is only when the impact is felt in some ‘Special’ areas that flood is given attention; forgetting that Ndokwa East suffers floods on an annual basis”.

Meanwhile, the flood has cut off the ever busy Ugbolu/Illah Road, Oshimili North Local Government Area, Delta State, forcing people in the area to use boats to cross the flooded portions.

In the last few days, civil servants coming to work in Asaba from Ugbolu/Illah have been going through hell to cross over to the Asaba end and back.

A man in a virile video tagged; ‘Chike and the River, said: “A trip of a few minutes from Asaba to Ugbolu has become a boat ride. I had to abandon my car here to get across. The last time this happened was in 2012. I must say it was worse than this that time but I cannot say yet if this year would be worse or better because as you can see, everywhere is filled with water.

“This is supposed to be the asphalted road from Asaba to Ugbolu but everywhere is filled up now, it reminds me of Chike and the river. In the last few days, it has not rained here, it must be noted but whether it rains or not, the water volume is increasing simply because the other countries that hold the River Niger before it gets to Nigeria, countries like Guinea, Mali, Niger have opened up their dams so the water could flow through, that is why the water keeps on increasing.

“Don’t forget we are the last country to host the River Niger before it gets to the Atlantic ocean. And the River Niger for several years there have been lip promises that it’s going to be dredged but it’s never dredged and so any large volume of water coming into the River Niger flows to its banks and this is what we are suffering now.

“It can only be hoped that the incoming government in this country will dredge the River Niger to avert this problem which I said occured in 2012. But whatever be the case, thank God a lot of people have been evacuated, no lives were lost”.

In another department, the 2023 House of Assembly candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Patani Local Government Area, Hon Raymos Guanah, has called on the Federal, Delta state governments, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC to urgently take steps to assuage the sufferings of the people of the area caused by the ravaging flood.

Guanah, who made the call after a tour of Abari, Patani, Koloware, Aven, and other parts of the local government, stressed the need for an urgent step to be taken to provide succour to the people, lamenting that hunger and starvation were imminent as all their farm lands have been submerged by the flood, and goods worth millions of naira have been lost.

He called on the NDDC to take steps to award the contract for the construction of the Abari foreshore walls, which has been delayed for over five years. He wondered why such a project that would have a positive impact on the people will take so long to be awarded.

Insisting that the solution to the perennial flooding in the local government is for the government to construct foreshore walls from Abari through Patani, Agoloma, Toru-Angiama, Uduophori to Adobu, he called on the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NEMA to immediately send relief materials like food, medication, blankets, mosquito nets etc. to the people.

(Vanguard)