Flood shuts down schools, businesses in Delta communities

Perhaps, similar to the devastating effects of the flood of 2012, flood has, again, sacked the communities in Burutu North Local Government Area of Delta State, crippling academic and commercial activities in schools and markets.

Tribune Online, on Thursday, gathered that the flooding is currently causing havoc in Ayakoromo and other riverine communities such as Ogbeingbene, Okirika, Gbekebor, Obotebe, Yayorogbene, Ekoro, Egologbene, Oyangbene, Akparemogbene and Eseimogbene with no respite in sight.

It was gathered that the situation, which began four days ago, has led to the closing down of both primary and secondary schools in Ayakoromo and Okrika communities because access roads and classrooms have been submerged by excess water.

Ayakoromo, it will be recalled, suffers perennial annual flooding with no concrete step yet to be taken to permanently mitigate the situation by successive governments of the state.

Sources said the current level of flooding in the Ayakoromo community especially, was alarming, with most houses, farmlands and crops worth some fortunes already ravaged and submerged.

Although no casualty has been recorded in terms of human lives, the four-day flooding has led many villagers displaced from their homes amid hunger and privation.

However, the National president of Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI), Comrade Ozobo Austin, has called on politicians, intervention agencies, local and state governments to come to the aid of victims of the inclement weather.

“It is our vehement call that Delta state government and other relevant government interventionist agencies such as DESOPADEC, Delta State Flood Management Committee, NEMA, NDDC and Niger Delta ministry should, as a matter of urgency, address the precarious flooding situation in Ayakoromo and other riverine communities in Burutu LGA.

“We equally call on Hon Daniel Yingi, member representing BURUTU North in Delta State House of Assembly to swiftly provide aids to displaced persons and work out modalities to ultimately stop the annual flooding of Ayakoromo and other affected communities in Burutu North,” Comrade Ozobo pleaded.

The group specifically appealed to the NDDC to complete the abandoned land reclamation project in Ayakoromo community seen as a permanent solution to the annual flooding menace in the riverine communities of the state.