The people of Akinima in Ahoada West Local Government Area, Rivers State, are once again bracing for possible flooding as the water level in the Orashi River continues to rise following three days of unrelenting rainfall.
Akinima, located in the Orashi region, is one of the communities most vulnerable to seasonal flooding in Rivers State. The town is surrounded by low-lying farmlands and waterways that overflow whenever heavy rains persist, often leaving residents displaced and crops destroyed. For farmers, who depend almost entirely on agriculture for their livelihood, every prolonged downpour is a race against time.
Speaking with our correspondent, community leader Eniata Abieba painted a picture of growing anxiety in the community.
“Right from last week Thursday, there has been heavy downpour,” Abieba explained. “This has created more flash floods in our environment. After the earlier flooding began to subside, this recent heavy downpour has now increased the water level in our farms. Many of our women rushed to the farm to harvest their crops in panic. As the rain has devastated their farmland, they had to harvest the few crops that were left.”
According to him, the rush to salvage crops is not without its own challenges. The sudden harvest often means immature crops are uprooted, leading to reduced yields and lower income for families. In some cases, the water rises so fast that farmers lose everything before they can act.
This is not the first time the community has been plunged into such a crisis. Residents recall the 2022 flooding in the Orashi region, which submerged entire villages, cut off major roads, and left hundreds homeless. Many fear that without urgent intervention, history could repeat itself.
Abieba also had harsh words for the current flood management approach by government agencies such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), saying that issuing flood warnings without follow-up action leaves communities in distress.
“This NEMA and NIMET always giving alerts has become a threat to the health of our people,” he said. “We live in an area prone to flooding. When these alerts come, they create panic in the minds of the people. If you tell somebody that fire will engulf your house, and you, as the government, know this area is a major food supplier for the nation, then you must also take action. You cannot just create panic without making any provision to help us overcome such a disaster. What is the use?”
Residents are now calling on the government to go beyond forecasts by creating evacuation plans, setting up temporary shelters, and providing relief materials for communities at high risk. They also want long-term solutions such as the dredging of the Orashi River, the construction of embankments, and the installation of proper drainage systems to manage excess water.
For now, the people of Akinima continue to watch the river’s edge nervously. Every ripple, every overnight rainfall, could mean the difference between saving a season’s worth of hard work or losing it all to the floodwaters once again.
