Houses and businesses of some residents in many parts of Rivers State have been flooded following recent heavy rainfalls. Reports, pictures, and videos from our correspondents show that parts of Rukpokwu, Olu Obasanjo, Rivers State University roundabout, NTA Road, Nkpolu, Rumugba, and Woji areas all in Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor Local Government Areas are all flooded. The floods made many roads impassable, leaving numerous vehicles stranded and cutting off access to essential services.
Some affected residents say the rain destroyed some of their properties. A shop owner along Rumuogba Road said she has experienced low sales due to the rain. In her words, “This morning I had to go through flood waters, on getting to my shop, I discovered the flood entered my shop and destroyed my baking ingredients. Sales today have been very slow because of the rains as our customers cannot come out to buy from us. The government should help us build drainages in the markets.”
Another resident in the Nkpolu area also complained of the destruction of her properties by the flood. “The flood has been disturbing us since the rains started. I fear that what happened last year may happen again. The situation here is really bad I’ve been trying to pack my clothes, my mattress is condemned and other properties too.” she said. “Adults and children in our community fall sick due to the flood. Currently, we are scared and our blood pressure has risen because we do not know how this year's flood will be. Last year was a disaster. We lost so many people. we are calling on the government to build camps for us to help us this period.”
A town planning expert, Sopuruchi Njoku, blames the situation on the lack of proper planning from the government and the residents’ attitude to the environment. “Some residents are in the habit of dropping their waste in the drainages along the road, and it’s one of the causes of the recent flooding we’re experiencing.”
He also blames the flooding of the Port Harcourt metropolitan area for the lack of proper urban planning. “The last time we had a proper city plan was 45 years ago. Planning is dynamic. About ten or 20 years ago we were not experiencing this because there were vacant lands but now, we have built houses to cover them and there are no spaces for the water to find its way,” he emphasized.
Njoku warns that flooding would be more devastating in the future if the government fails to take action now.Meanwhile, the Rivers State Flood Management Committee says it is committed to tackling the floods. The committee’s secretary, Inime Aguma voiced this at a meeting with the chairmen of the 23 local governments in the state.
