Residents breathe sigh of relief as Bayelsa intensifies flood mitigation

•Swamp buggies clear channels

By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA — The Bayelsa State Directorate of Flood and Erosion Control has stepped up efforts to prevent annual flooding in Yenagoa, the state capital, with heavy machinery currently clearing accumulated silt and waste from the water channels across the city.

Residents of flood-prone areas have welcomed the intervention, which comes after the Federal Government issued a flood alert urging states to ramp up preparations for the impending deluge. The alert though yearly, comes nearly four years after the devastating 2022 floods that displaced hundreds of thousands across the state. Among those relieved is 67-year-old Madam Christie Bibowei, a mother of five, who said the clearing operation has brought a sense of relief after years of sleepless nights during heavy rains.

In the Kpansia area, Mr. Godknows, a father of three who lost his provision store in the 2022 deluge, recalled how the sudden rise in water level destroyed goods he had accumulated over the years. He and his family were forced to seek shelter in a church for two weeks.

The Directorate has not disclosed the full scope of the ongoing works, but officials said the clearance of major drainage channels is a priority to ensure the free flow of water ahead of the peak of the rainy season. The 2022 floods caused widespread damage across Bayelsa, affecting thousands of households and destroying property worth billions of naira.

For residents who have endured the trauma of annual deluges, the sight of heavy machinery dredging their clogged waterways is nothing short of an answered prayer.

Sight of swamp buggy

Now, standing at the edge of the Kpansia Market Road Channel and watching the desilting exercise that is connecting the waterway to the Mike Okpokpor Channel, Godknows allows himself a measure of cautious optimism.

“I want to believe it will be different this time. The government is trying. They are clearing the canals, and we can see the water flowing. For the first time in years, we can finally sleep at least a little,” he said.

The operation, which began on Saturday, June 13, has become a source of fascination for residents who crowd the banks of the channels; with some bringing their children to witness what they hope will be a turning point in their struggle against nature.

In the Azikoro upstream area, where a swamp buggy is clearing the channel linking Cemetery Culvert and the CBN Channels, a young boy named Imomotimi, barely 14 years old, said: “Last year, we could not play football because the field was underwater for three months.” He added: “If they clear the rubbish, we can play again.

“Look at how much garbage they are pulling out,” another resident, Flora Green, said. “People have been throwing everything into these channels, plastics, bottles, even dead animals. How could water flow?”

Directorate warns against dumping refuse into waterways

Critical areas of concern include St. Peter’s and Obele canals, the Goodnews Canal by Azikoro Town, and the Akenpai Canal. Offenders, the Directorate warns, will face sanctions in line with existing environmental laws.

Chief Omuso Wilson Omuso, Director General of the Directorate, has been touring the desilting sites personally, engaging with communities and assuring them that the government is committed to breaking the cycle of devastation.

“We are working hard so that the predicted flood will not cause serious problems for us,” Omuso assured residents. “If there is free flow of water, the floods that are coming will not be retained; they will find their way into the sea.”

For Pere Andi, a resident of the Azikoro community, the current efforts evoke memories of the past. “Before the city grew, our people knew how to manage water. We had channels that flowed freely. But development came, people built indiscriminately, and we forgot the ways of our ancestors,” she told NDV.

“Now, Governor Diri has set up this directorate, and they are working. Some of us are old enough to know that this is the first time any government has taken flooding this seriously. We need to support them.”

The Directorate, NDV learned, has deployed geospatial technology to identify 54 natural water channels in the Yenagoa area, far exceeding the nine previously known, a feat that has impressed environmental experts.

Higher Grounds

Beyond Yenagoa, the Directorate is also working to ensure that other parts of the state are not left behind. Pilot schemes for the preparation of higher grounds have already been completed in Yenagoa and Ekeremor local government areas, with plans to replicate the model elsewhere.

Higher-ground shelters have been set up in Biseni and three other communities, a development that brings relief to Pastor John, a native of Biseni who vividly remembers the chaos of the 2022 floods.

“When the water came, people were forced to relocate to the bridge in the community and others to the state capital for shelter. We lost valuables,” John recalled. “Now we are hopeful. If the water comes, we have somewhere to go. It is small, but it is something.”

However, environmental advocates have raised concerns that the Directorate’s work could be undone if not backed by legislation.

The Environmental Conservation, Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) has warned that without statutory status, the agency risks being disbanded by future administrations, a prospect that terrifies residents who have seen governments come and go with little regard for flood control.

“If they scrap this directorate, we are finished,” said Mr. Austin Ekene, a businessman whose shop narrowly escaped flooding last year. “This is the first time I can point to something and say, ‘This government cares about us.’”

ECARD has also called for the Directorate to be empowered to demolish illegal structures blocking waterways, a power currently vested solely in the capital city planning authority. “If there is an enabling law, they know there are structures and buildings that need to be brought down because people consciously knew they were building on a natural water course,” said Alagoa Morris, ECARD’s Chief Operating Officer.

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