Three children have allegedly died in the recent flooding that ravaged communities, including Polobubo (Teskelewu) in Warri North council area of Delta state.The children, a girl and two boys, belonging to two families, were identified as Annabel, Gift and Praise-God.
They were said to be two, four and near five years old.
The bereaved parents told newsmen ,who visited the community at the weekend, that they lost their children to the flood.
They had reportedly stepped out to play, somehow fell in the swelling waters and were washed away only to be discovered dead later.
Mr David Suku, who lost two of his children, Gift and Praise-God, to the disaster within two months said: “The water was too much, so as the child fell into the water nobody was around. Before we could find him, he was already dead.
“The last flood, one died, this one another one has died, if there is anything government can do for us, they should do it. Losing a second child to the flood is too much for me.”
His wife, Doris Suku, in tears and narrating how it happened said: “I was at home when the child went out to play. I thought he was at my brother’s wife’s place. I didn’t see him, so I went to ask them.
“They said he had returned home and I told them, no I haven’t seen him. We looked for him. It was in the morning, we saw him already dead.”
The father of another family, Mr Enoch Kane, recalled the tragic day he lost his daughter.
“She died on August 16. I lost my daughter to the flood. She walked to the backyard, unknowing to me and fell into the the water.
“We looked for her, only to find her in the water, already dead. She was two years old and wasn’t used to swimming.”
However, the community has called on the federal government to urgently direct Chevron Nigeria Limited to dredge the inland waterways, while bemoaning the loss of lives to the flood.
The people- bearing placards with inscriptions such as “no farm, no food because of flood. Government help us; government come to our aid, flood has damaged our properties; flood has damaged all our church instruments,” charged government at all levels as well as the international community to intervene.
Secretary General of Polobubo national council, Mr. Midwest Kukuru, described the development as “agonizing, harrowing and disturbing,” further accusing Chevron of being responsible for the flood disaster.
He explained that the river in the community used to be a “very deep fresh water habitat until few years after the advent of oil companies, particularly Chevron.
“We began to have these problems. This problem is caused by Chevron as a result of the canal that was dug into the Atlantic Ocean.
“The silts from the ocean come through the canal and are deposited in this river. During dry season this river is less than one meter.
“Because it is silted, when the rain falls the water has nowhere to go than to begin to overflow the banks, go into houses and begin to cause problems. This in a nutshell is the cause of it.
“We are appealing to the governments, local, state, federal and even the world, to prevail on Chevron to open up this our river for us.
“First of all, block that canal that they dug to the Atlantic ocean, then dig the whole of this river. Get it to the normal depth that it was before.
“Then, there are areas they need to fill with sand for this community to relocate to because we have study reports that say that the whole of the community is sitting below sea level.”
The Nation also visited the community’s Cottage Hospital, where the medical director of health facility, Dr. Terry Itimi, said patients had to be moved from the wards and the theatre rendered “not functional”.
“With the way the water is going, sometimes, it is up to knee level in the hospital. Two days ago, we had an emergency surgery for a woman, but due to the unhygienic state of the facility, we couldn’t carry that out. There are other cases we have to refer to urban areas which is very far from here,” the doctor said.
The community’s primary school, Miyen Primary School, was not spared in the onslaught.
Ateacher, Alice Gbalubi, lamented the ordeal that teachers and learners have been subjected to since resumption.
She said: “As you can see, the school is flooded with water. We have resumed but the pupils learn on water.
“They stand because we don’t have chairs as you can see. Before the close of the school, many get colds, fever and vomit.
“Even teachers cannot dress properly because of the water. We don’t wear shoes but walk barefooted.
“Most times, their (pupils) books fall on water and get destroyed. We want government and Chevron to come to our aid.”
Pastor of First Baptist Church from where water was being pumped out of at the time of visit, Rev. Kenneth Toruwei, disclosed that the church lost most of its instruments to the ravaging flood and pointed out that a jetty in front of the church building had been submerged in the water.
An elderly man, Patrick Gagha also decried the loss of the once mangrove woods, which he said had “all been driven away by the salt water invasion.”
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