Commuters voyaged with canoes on the East-West Road, a flooded federal highway in Niger–Delta, Wednesday, as raging flood waters submerged the Ughelli-Patani axis in Delta State.
The latest incident is coming three years after a similar natural disaster in which flood swamped a different section of the East-West road, 2012, in Delta State.
This is as a commercial bus plying the Ughelli/Port Harcourt section of the East-West Road plunged into a river at Umeh Junction in Delta State on Thursday evening.
The road initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2006 is still under construction.
The unfortunate incident turned the Ughelli-Patani Road to an ‘emergency river’ as some locals who saw the hurried opportunity drafted their canoes to the flooded road to paddle stranded passengers.
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The passengers who were trapped had to cough uo N1,000 or more for the canoe boys to convey them to the other side of the road heading to Ughelli.
It turned a brisk business as passengers from Ughelli were offloaded to the cab drivers while those from Patani joined the drivers back as soon as they alighted from the canoes caused by the road severed by ‘angry’ flooding after the heavy rains.
As a result of the devastating floods, pythons and other kinds of dangerous reptiles have found their way into communities in parts of Delta State. Residents now scamper for safety for fear of being killed.
The ravaging flood which has cut off parts of the East-West Road has continued to wreak havoc in communities along the bank of the River Niger. It has reportedly taken over eight lives, and destroyed crops and houses worth millions of naira in the state.
Meanwhile, some travellers on the East-West Road have been stranded as others resort to use of canoes to cross over to the other side to board vehicles to continue their journeys.
From Ahoada West in Rivers State, some Ogbogolo communities are cut off from the rest along East-West Road.
Trending videos show how from the rainforest seeped through the channel to the other side to meet ‘prostrate’ tanks lying there.
Heavy rains worsened the situation as the Orashi River criss-crossing the entire local government area and its vegetation mainly high dense rain forest poured into the road making it impassable for road users.
This resulted in gridlock as passengers spent four to five hours in journey of 20 minutes to pass through the flooded area.
Some hapless passengers even a mother with twins were seen walking through the lesser evil portion of the raod while others hopped on incoming trucks to cross to the safer side to board vehicles to their destinations.
Timi Ogidi, one of the affected passengers, speaking with Arise tv called on the Federal Government to intervene by repairing and providing drains to evacuate surging water flooding the road.
Delta govt gives updates
The Director-General of Delta State Bureau of Orientation, Mr Eugene Uzum, who stated this while giving an update of the flood situation in Asaba, Friday, lamented that trucks laden with relief materials meant for victims in ravaged communities have been trapped by the ravaging flood.
Uzum who confirmed the killing of a big python at Patani, urged those living in the flooded areas to relocate. He decried that the victims also have dangerous sea animals that are being released as a result of the overflow of the river to contend with aside the flood.
While lamenting that the flood has overwhelmed one part of the Ughelli-Patani axis of the East-West Road, he said: ”Trucks conveying relief materials to that axis have been trapped. We now make use of speed boats to access the IDP camps to deliver materials to the victims.”
He said 4,755 persons including men, women, children, lactating mothers, pregnant women and persons with disabilities, have so far been registered at the camps across the state, lamenting that 19 out of the 25 local government areas have been affected by the flood.
Uzum said: “We want to empathise with the victims of the flood. We specifically commend their strength and also in adhering to government’s earlier warning to relocate from flood-prone areas.
“As at today, the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) has intervened by opening two camps. The interventionist agency has also been opening up canals for water to flow freely.
“The state government through the 2022 flood management committee, has also opened ten functional IDP camps at various locations to provide temporal accommodation for displaced residents with the prospects of opening more.
“The committee also created distribution centres from where relief materials would be taken to IDP camps. We are collaborating with traditional rulers, and community leaders to rescue people and provide the needed succour.
Wike’s intervention
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike had approved N1 billion for emergency relief measures to support flood victims in Ahoada West and Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Areas of the state.
This was contained in a statement by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr Kelvin which was made available to journalists on Wednesday in Port Harcourt.
Wike also set up a task force to coordinate the distribution of relief materials to the affected communities in the State.
He said the fund was to enable vulnerable families, particularly in Ahoada in the two local government areas, the most impacted areas in the state, to cope with the devastating flood water.
The governor noted that the flood had inundated homes and farmlands and forced residents of affected communities to relocate to safer places.
He said Dr. George Nwaeke, the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Bureau, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, would serve as the Chairman of the task force, while, Mrs Inime Aguma, was the Secretary.
Wike named other members of the task force as the Chairman of Ahoada West LGA, Hope Ikiriko; the Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, Vincent Job; and the Director of Administration, Ministry of Special Duties, Chukwuemeka Onowu.
The governor said all the members of the task force would meet with him at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
