[OPINION BY WEALTH DICKSON OMINABO] 2022 flood: A tragedy foretold, the crises within | TheCable
The 2022 flood tells a sad story- it is a tragedy with a complex plot with themes of displacement, hunger, and scarcity. In it are sub-themes of death, negligence, and fecklessness—every victim with his own story, and every community their tales and narratives detailing their plights. Citizens in affected areas live in uncertainty, despair, and fear, while a few struggle to hope and display love and compassion amid adversity.
Bayelsa appears to be one of the worst affected States in the year’s flood, as about seven out of the eight local government areas in the state are submerged in water, 300 communities and villages have been totally or partially submerged in water, 700,000 persons have been displaced or affected. The two major entry points into the state by road from Delta and Rivers States are impassable as water has washed off most parts of the road.
He said: “This year’s flooding has surpassed that of 2012, which is the highest we have witnessed so far. It has become a security emergency. Bayelsa is below sea level and when the flood comes, virtually everywhere is flooded. Even the Government House is being threatened.”“On Thursday, we saw the road leading to Sagbama from Ekeremor had been badly damaged by the flood. Now, the road from Yenagoa to Amassoma, where you have the Niger Delta University has collapsed in three areas.
Many reasons have been given as the causes for this year’s flood; the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, climate change, and other environmental factors. No matter what we believe as the remote and immediate causes of this present tragedy, one thing that this year’s flood highlights is the nexus between climate change, human security, and national stability.