Climate change is increasing the risk of floods worldwide particularly in coastal and lowland areas because of its role in extreme weather and sea rise conditions. Delta State is one of the major states in Nigeria prone to flood year in year out, except there is no heavy downpour and this has become an annual occurrence since the massive flood of 2012 which ravaged many communities and displaced thousands of the residents, submerging their farmlands as well.
Following a two-day heavy rainfall on Monday July 8 and Tuesday, July 9, 2024, major streets in Warri South, Warri South-West, Okpe, Patani, Ndokwa East and West, Isoko South, Ukwani and Uvwie Oshimili North and South local government areas were flooded a situation made worse by subsequent rains during the week, resulting in serious hardship to residents in the affected communities. Many of the roads became impassable causing motorists to wade through floods to get to their destinations while in some places businesses were shut and markets shut. Commuters were stranded.
In Warri, a major commercial city in the state, Effurun/NPA Expressway Chevron, Airport Road, Ginuwa, Delta Broadcasting Service and Greener Line stations, were all affected by the flood. Enerhen Junction, Giwa Amu Road, First Main Gate, Etuwewe and several other roads in Effurun Warri, including the Ukwain, Effurun Roundabout, Uti Road and Soko Estate were not spared.
Many of these roads were in bad shape before the added stress of flooding. In Warri South Local Government Area, Oduma Layout off New Okpe Road, the former Cranefield Rd, Red Beret Police Rd, Ugbokodo and neighbouring communities in Okpe Local Government Area were equally badly flooded.
The story was the same in Onyah, Utuoku, Okpai, Adiai-Obiaku, Abala-Oshimili, Aboli, Benekuku, Asaba-Ase, all in Ndokwa East Local Government Area. Asaba, the Delta State capital also experienced its own woes of flooded roads as the Nnebisi Road by Interbau, Okpanam roads flooded. All the flooded beautiful houses along Okpanam Road took a long time drying up while residents were forced to relocate as their homes were submerged in water.
Residents of Araya in Isoko South Local Government Area are crying out for help as any heavy rainfall which causes the River Niger to overflow into a nearby lake floods the community and destroys their farms and properties. They are regular flood victims trapped with nowhere else to go to.
Araya is one of the 37 towns in Isoko located south east of the state. It shares a boundary with Kwale (Ndokwa West) to the north, Urhobos (Ughelli North) to the west, Aboh (Ndokwa East) and the Ijaws (Patani) in the south.
Also drastically affected by the July flood was Ajudaibo Community in Warri South West Local Government Area, which was suddenly submerged with heavy losses incurred due to the destruction of many properties by the coastal flood that hit the community.
The director of Relief Rescue and Rehabilitation, Karo Overmeso and his colleague, Mrs Elizabeth Chukwuma joined the Center for Rural Integration and Development on a visit to the above mentioned flood affected communities.
Following the outcry over the widespread flood, the governor, Sheriff Obovorie inaugurated a 23-member delta State Flood Management Committee under the chairmanship of the secretary to the state government, Dr. Kingsley Emu. The sum of N15billion has been allocated according to the Delta State government, to the committee to cushion the effects of the flood but not much has been seen.
The main flood is gearing up to visit. Travelling from Ughelli down to Patani, the signs are clear that the main flood will come and NIMET has repeatedly warned that Delta State is one of the states to be affected by the coming flood; the banks of the River Niger are full waiting to overflow. Expectedly, flood prone communities’ residents are apprehensive as it heralds another round of losses, hardship.
West Local Government Area
This should serve as a clarion call to the 23-man flood mitigation committee to begin action in order to reduce the harsh and economically destabilizing effects of flood in the lives of Delta citizens.
-By Lilian Nwokobia, CRIDEV.
