The New Generation Leaders, a sociopolitical group, has urged Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa State to tackle ravaging flood and erosion in some communities in the state.
Mr Precious Odede, spokesman of the organisation, made the call in a statement on Friday, October 6, 2023, in Yenagoa, the state capital.
According to the statement, the people of Obogoro community in Yenagoa Local Government Area (LGA), Anibeze, Elemebiri, Ekperiware and Osifo in Sagbama LGA, including villages in Ekeremor and Kolokuma-Okpokuma LGAs were going through untold hardships caused by the flood.
“The report of erosion depleting our environment is disturbing; erosion, though it is a natural process, it involves the removal of topsoil cover essential for agriculture and other vital purposes.
“In this case, it has resulted in destroying businesses and residential buildings in villages where people live.
“If no urgent response comes from government, the flood and erosion could cause a whole lot of economic setback for the people, especially the situation of Bayelsa where several communities in the various LGAs have been eroded, leaving a sizable proportion of the state’s population displaced.”
He maintained that erosion, without an effective government intervention, would result in wiping out our villages and it is expedient now to call on the government to act.
He said the continued negligence by the government to tackle the natural menace bedevilling them for a long time was regrettable.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment has taken steps to clear natural water channels in the state capital to reduce the impact of the flood and urged residents to desist from dumping refuse in the water channels.
By Nathan Nwakamma
