A nongovernmental organization, Journalists and Friends against Disasters and Accidents International has raised alarm over the recurring menace of flooding which has sacked the entire Rumuowha in Eneka Clan in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

It said the situation was ‘baffling and saddening’, calling on the federal, state and local governments to come to the rescue of the community.  

Founder and Executive Director of the group, Ruskin Amadi expressed dismay that nothing has been done since 2016 to channel away flood waters from the affected area along the Rukpokwu/Eneka Road.

“It is in fact baffling and in fact saddening that the people of Ruwuowha in Eneka clan in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area have been left to their fate since the flooding of their area which began sometimes in 2016. Why should the people be left to suffer that way? What is actually happening? The people of Rumuowha have deserted their homes.”

He said his NGO was joining it voice with the hundreds of residents of the affected area in Rumuowha to call for urgent attention from the government to evacuate the flood water from the area to nearby canals.

“Flood waters will come up as high as the waist and people will vacate their residence for as long as that flood water lasts. As long as that rainy season lasts and yet nothing is being done. Some of them have even taken self-help efforts and helped themselves yet the other areas that cannot do anything have been left to their fate. This is too bad. This is not good”.

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Amadi stressed that the people of Rumuowha Eneka deserve help urgently and called on the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, the Rivers State Government and the Federal Government through its intervention agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to find lasting solution to the flooding of houses of residents in Rumuowha along the Rukpokwu-Eneka Road to enable them return to their deserted homes.  

“Yes, the road was constructed, that is a very good thing. But after then what happens? The people will be soaked in water. Some landlords are now tenants in other places. Whereas they have spent millions of naira to buy lands and also build, just because the flood waters have taken their lands since 2016 till date. Something needs to be done urgently. The people of Rumuowha have suffered enough.”

“And so Journalists and Friends against Accidents International, we are calling on the Rivers State Government, the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, the Federal Government through its interventionist agencies, especially the NDDC, to come to the aid of Rumuowha community.” “It doesn’t cost much, it is just mere planning and plotting and that water will go off from that place. Something should be done. There are nearby canals, the water should be channelled to these canals and save the people this problem they are going through. It has become a recurring decimal, even more than recurring decimal. This one is a permanent decimal. It is just there since 2016. Please something should done”.