By Obiabin Onukwugha
Residents of Obogoro community in Bayelsa State, has cried out over flooding caused by heavy rains in the area.
Obogoro, presomant fishing community at the outskirts of Yenagoa the Bayelsa State Capital has been threatened by coastal erosion where many lives and over 500 houses, including a primary school, have been lost in the last decade.
Residents who spoke to NatureNews correspondent on Tuesday, said residents woke up to observe a threatening erosion following a heavy down poor and storm on Monday night that lasted to the early hours of Tuesday.
One of the community residents, Madam Eunice, said the erosion caused by the early heavy rains have further threatened the community.
She said despite years of pleas for intervention, the government’s response has been perceived as inadequate, leaving residents feeling abandoned.
“The community has issued a desperate appeal to the Bayelsa State government for immediate assistance to prevent their homeland from disappearing. Additionally, they have called on illegal dredgers to cease their activities, which are believed to contribute to the erosion but to no avail,” she said.
Last year when this correspondent visited the community, it was gathered that Obogoro has lost about 60 percent of its land due to erosion, with homes and properties being swept into the river, resulting in significant displacement and loss of lives.
The community’s plight highlights the urgent need for effective shoreline protection measures and a comprehensive strategy to address the environmental and socio-economic impacts of erosion in the region.