By Samuel Oyadongha
YENAGOA — The rain had barely stopped when 62-year-old Mama Tokoni Ebidor waded through ankle deep water in front of her home in Biogbolo, one of the many low lying suburbs of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The flood is no longer a seasonal visitor; it is a permanent, unwelcome tenant. And this time, the finger-pointing has taken an unexpected turn.
Residents are no longer blaming only the heavens or the government. They are pointing at themselves, at the choked channels they blocked, the drains they filled and the ancient waterways they built on.
Mama Ebidor speaks for a community waking to a bitter truth: “When I was a girl, the water came and went. Now, it stays because we have stolen its escape routes,” she said.
A city built for water, blocked by human hands
Mr. Clark Amaebi, has spent years watching the environmental crisis unfold from the frontlines declaring that the flooding that plagues Yenagoa and surrounding communities is largely self-inflicted.
“Yenagoa was naturally designed to allow water to flow freely,” Amaebi explained. “But human interference has disrupted the drainage network. People erect structures on natural waterways. They dump refuse into drains. And when the rains come, the water has nowhere to go.”
Mr. Kins Tari, a resident of Ekeki, recalled the Yenagoa of his childhood with nostalgia. “We used to swim in the creeks. Fish was everywhere, you could catch your evening meal in minutes.
“Now the creeks are choked with plastic bottles, nylon bags, and God knows what else. When it rains, the water doesn’t drain. It sits there, breeding mosquitoes and diseases.”
Govt Provides, Residents Ignore
According to Amaebi, “The government provides receptacles and evacuates refuse free of charge yet some residents prefer to dump waste into drains. And when the rains come, the blocked drains overflow and cause flooding in their own communities.”
Madam Ebiere Ware, a market woman in Swali, admitted that the problem is cultural as much as it is practical. “We know the bins are there. But some people are lazy. Others say the bins are too far. Some just don’t care. We pray for rain to wash away the dirt, but then the rain comes and we cry .”
because our shops are flooded. We are our own enemies,” she said with a sigh
Beyond the flooding, a quieter but equally devastating crisis is the gradual disappearance of wildlife, aquatic resources, and forest products that once sustained Bayelsa communities.
“Several years ago, aquatic species and forest resources were readily available and affordable,” Amaebi recalled. “Now they have become scarce due to the destruction of natural habitats.”
Sampson Sunday, a community leader, remembers when the creeks teemed with prawns and the forests echoed with the calls of wildlife. “We fed our families from the rivers and the bush but the rivers are now polluted. The trees are gone. Our children will never know the abundance we once had,” he said.
Sunday also decried the indiscriminate felling of trees, warning that continued deforestation could have severe consequences for future generations. “If we continue cutting down trees without replanting, we are stealing from our children and grandchildren,” he said.
He lamented the situation where some residential buildings in the state lack toilet facilities, forcing occupants to adopt unhealthy waste disposal methods that pollute the environment.
“How can a house have no toilet in this day and age?” he queried.
“People defecate in plastic bags and throw them into drains. They use ‘flying toilets.’ It’s degrading and dangerous. And then we wonder why we have cholera outbreaks when the floods come.”
Speaking on dredging activities, Amaebi struck a balanced, stressing that dredging remains necessary to keep waterways navigable and prevent rivers from being blocked by silt deposits.
However, he emphasised that such operations must be carried out under proper regulatory supervision.
“The solution is for all of us to deliberately do the right thing. Environmental protection is a collective responsibility. If everyone plays their part, we will have a cleaner and healthier environment,” he said and called on citizens, community leaders, private organisations, and government agencies to work together to preserve the environment and ensure sustainable development across the state.
“We cannot keep blaming the government for everything,” said Igoni, another resident.
His words, “though the government has a role, we have a role too. If we keep dumping rubbish in the drains, no government can stop the flooding. The water will always find a way to hit back at us.”
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