In a recent report which has been put out, the Bayelsa State Government has openly expressed some major concerns about the impact and the spate of the rampaging flood which might also result in a humanitarian crisis.
Mr. Iselema Gbaranbiri who is also the Commissioner for Environment and chairman of the Bayelsa state’s Task Force on Flood Mitigation and Management had raised the concern on Saturday while he had been giving an update on the committee’s activities.
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He has also noted that the flood in the state has totally or partially submerged no fewer than 300 communities and villages and he disclosed that about 700,000 persons have been displaced or affected by the flood.
He had also posited that virtually all the communities and streets in Yenagoa Local Government Area have also been submerged or partially flooded.
The Communities in five other local government areas, namely Sagbama, Ekeremor, Ogbia, Kolokuma/Opokuma, and Southern Ijaw were equally seriously affected by the flood and the Environment Commissioner had also revealed that there had been reported cases of corpses being washed up at the cemetery in Asokoro, raising concerns of an impending health crisis.
He, however, assured that the government would do its best to bring relief to the flood victims as the committee was working round the clock to address the challenge of the current crisis.
On Friday, Governor Diri had also restated his proposal for a post-flood management roundtable between some of the worst-hit states and the federal government and the Bayelsa governor said such discourse had become necessary due to the infrastructure damage and the amount of state resources deployed in tackling the flood menace.
He spoke as he continued his on-the-spot assessment tour to Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and other Yenagoa Local Government Area communities.
His words: “I have already thought out a line of action. Post-flood mitigation is very important to us at this time. The post-flood period will be about our destroyed infrastructure, particularly roads.
“On Thursday, we saw the road leading to Sagbama from Ekeremor had been badly damaged by the flood. Now, the road from Yenagoa to Amassoma, where you have the Niger Delta University, has collapsed in three areas. So, even with the ASUU calling off its strike, the university cannot resume. That is what I have been talking about the peculiarity of Bayelsa State and our Niger Delta environment.
“It will cost the state billions of naira before those roads would be repaired. Also, there are individual losses in terms of houses that have collapsed as a result of the flood and the deaths we have witnessed.
“In the post-flood management, the federal government has to sit with the states to look for a lasting and permanent solution. One of such solutions is the construction of a dam so when water is released from wherever, we should be able to contain it in Nigeria.”
The governor equally inspected the state-owned airport and expressed delight that despite the magnitude of the flood, the airport was not submerged, contrary to speculations by opposition elements.