By Shina Badmus

Yet again, Ofonigeinghan a community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State has been struck by the unending activities of flood that is ravaging the communities.

The rise in water level of the river has caused a complete takeover of their community, hence leaving the people homeless.

Since there is no barricade between the river and community, there is no protection from the surge of water coming and this is meted out on the people of the community.

This has exposed the people of the community to various illnesses ranging from cholera to malaria and fever amongst others and has also contaminated their water.

GbaramatuVoice visited the community and discovered that even children have gone on what was tagged by the community as flood-break which is causing a distortion in the educational advancement of people of this community.

Speaking to Solomon Boroporoza, a community leader in Ofonibeinghan (Okrika) community, he narrated how for a long time the flood has been affecting their community. That everywhere in the community is completely flooded and this has restricted movement.

He also said they had to enter water every now and then to move within their community and that most of them had to pack out of their houses because the water had flooded their homes.

According to him, “the community has appealed to the government for years and they came here with different cameras to video the community after which we did not see anything from them.

“I have more than three fish ponds but now the flood has damaged all, we also have over 100 fish ponds in this community and the flood has damaged all.”

He further lamented how his two acres of cassava plantain farm has been destroyed by the flood and over more than 100 persons are now currently suffering from the effects of the flood.

Finally, he appealed to the government to look into their situation and handle the matter appropriately.

In his words: “We are appealing to government to look into this community to come and dredge this community. If the government can assist us sandfill this community I believe whatever thing we are suffering from the flood, we will overcome it.”

According to Comrade Obiri Jonathan, National Spokesman of Ijaw Interest Advocate (IIA): “It is all because of the neglect of the government. We are supposed to have foreshore wall or a piling in this place but do not and this is one of the issues causing the problem.

“Okowa’s government has neglected the Ijaw people and hence leaving them in a state of suffering. We hear of NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency), an organization created to attend to situations like this, but NEMA has never visited areas in this region which is very bad,” he said.

He further said that the best way to salvage the situation was for government to provide relief materials for the community to help them battle the pending flood and proffer the permanent solution to be the dredging of the water as well as construction of standard foreshore walls that would serve as a barricade between the river and the community.

Mr. Benson Diegbegha, a resident in the community, lamenting about the damage the flood has caused him, said, “look at my house, look at the water everywhere, even all the rooms are flooded. My properties have all been consumed by the flood. My wife left because of this water that has flooded my house. We can’t leave like this, so you people should tell government to help us, we are suffering.”

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