From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Flood at the weekend again submerged some communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State with affected residents fearing for their health and lives.
According to an investigation between Friday and Saturday, the water level had risen to a level that forced many residents to flee as their houses were submerged.
In Agudama-Epie a suburb of Yenagoa, residents constructed a wooden bridge to ensure they moved flee to safety before it becomes impossible to move property from the area.
Other communities badly affected were Tombia-Ekpetiama, Biseni, Kalama, and Okoloba all in Yenagoa Local Government Area.
Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, Gbaran-Ama and Sabagreia were heavily flooded while the Ijaw National Academy, the Girls Secondary School in Kaiama and the Bayelsa State Sports Institute Asoama were also submerged.
Bayelsa State Task Force on Flood Mitigation and Management which visited some of the communities, at the weekend, for an on-the-spot assessment of the impact, lamented the devastating impact on the Biseni community.
Commissioner for Environment, Iselema Gbaranbiri, who led the team, sympathised with people of the area, noting that the essence of the on-the-spot assessment was to get first-hand information about the situation and identify areas of need for the government to provide succour to the people.
He called on the Federal Government to assist the state government in alleviating the sufferings of victims and disclosed that other local government areas will be visited and succour would be provided for those affected in form of building of higher grounds, provision of relief materials and medicals.
Also, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Moses Teibowei, said the concrete water barrier built in three communities was a pilot project based on the advice of his ministry.
He said the trial water barrier has proved to be effective so far, saying the government was still monitoring its effectiveness.
He assured a decision would be taken by the government to replicate them in other communities and possibly improve on them.
Teibowei said the state government also implemented a home-grown technology in parts of Yenagoa such as the Epie creek in Okutukutu, which has prevented the area and parts of Opolo from flooding so far.
He said a similar measure would be replicated around Yenagoa, Obele, the Law School at Agudama and other parts of Yenagoa and expressed optimism that by the time the home-grown technology, which has been implemented in parts of Yenagoa metropolis, was fully implemented, the issue of flooding will be mitigated in the state.