FLOODS: When the dead rose in Bayelsa, Delta communities

There appears to be no end to the disastrous impact of the floods that have been ravaging different parts of the country in recent weeks. Beyond the shock of people being swept away by furious floods, rendered homeless or battling with snakes and other rodents for space at the different camps set up for internally displaced persons, a twist to the narrative is that corpses are being exhumed by floods in states like Bayelsa and Delta.

In Bayelsa, the sight of corpses from Azikoro Cemetery in Yenagoa, the state capital, floating on water has sent jitters down the spines of residents of the neighbourhood.

Apart from the gory sight of floating corpses, the distraught residents are also expressing fears and worries about the health hazards it poses to the inhabitants of the area.

The chemicals used by the authorities during the reburial of the washed-up corpses have also worsened the worries of the residents.

A resident, who identified himself simply as Ebi, said he was still transfixed by the gory images of dead bodies he saw floating on the flooded graveyard.

Ebi said like a scene in a horror film, he saw something coming out of the cemetery that made him to develop goose pimples all over his body. Not deterred by that, he alerted some other persons to what he saw and they all headed for the cemetery only to see corpses floating on the flood that had covered the entire graveyard.

He said: “The first was a casket with decomposing corpse inside. Then the second corpse came out without a casket and the third corpse with a wrapper near the body.

“Initially, we were confused. Later an idea came to us that we should find a way to retrieve the corpses and take them to a corner outside the cemetery that was not as flooded as the graveyard. We did so and some persons informed the authorities.

“Later, the government officials came and reburied the corpses. After that, they fumigated everywhere.”

Ebi noted that since the incident, the emotional trauma from the flood and seeing those corpses floating on water have weighed him down physically, emotionally and psychologically.

Another resident of the area, Angela Moses, said although the corpses had been reburied, the stench from the decomposing bodies still permeates the environment.

She said the images of those dead bodies she saw were appearing in her dreams and she has been finding it difficult to shake it off her mind. She appealed to the government to evacuate the residents, most of whom are already stranded, to safe places.

“I want to appeal to the government and relevant authorities to come to the aid of residents in whichever way possible. We are really facing terrible times now. We need help badly,” Moses stated.

A prominent politician in the state, who is resident in the area, urged the government to relocate the cemetery from its present location after the floods because it is flood prone.

The politician, who spoke in confidence, appealed to the state government to provide relief items to the residents, the majority of whom had been ravaged by the floods.

The source noted that the chemicals applied and the stench from decomposing corpses posed serious health hazards to residents.

“May I call on the government to provide relief items for the residents and relocate the cemetery after the flood,” the source appealed.

The Commissioner for Environment, Iselema Gbaranbiri, had earlier confirmed that three floating corpses were recovered from the scene.

Gbaranbiri, who is also the Chairman of the Bayelsa Flood Management Committee, said the corpses had been reburied and the environment adequately fumigated.

In Delta State, a member, 2022 Delta Flood Management Committee and Director-General, Delta State Orientation Bureau, Mr. Eugene Uzum, confirmed that the committee had received reports of floating corpses.

He said after an assessment of the situation, the Ministry of Health had swung into action to evacuate the bodies, adding that a team was on ground to report daily on the situation in Bomadi.

According to Uzum, the Delta State government places premium on the lives of its citizens and would do all within its powers to prevent an epidemic.

He said the committee was taking steps to check the influx of persons from neighbouring communities of Burutu, Patani by opening more internally displaced persons camps in the Bomadi axis.

His words: “We got a report of that nature that the place is submerged and that corpses are floating. We assessed the situation and ascertained that that is the true position.

“What government is doing through the Ministry of Health is to ensure that the bodies are evacuated.

“The Delta State Government understands that this can lead to an epidemic and so it is taking steps to check the situation.

“After evacuating the bodies, relevant authorities will fumigate the area as soon as the floods subside.”

Activist laments magnitude of floods

Speaking on the magnitude of this year’s flood and the unpalatable consequences, an environmental right activist, Alagoa Morris, said unarguably, this year’s monstrous flood had exceeded that of 2012.

Morris, who is the Niger Delta Coordinator, Environmental Right Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) said: “Besides the flooding of homes, offices and causing forced relocations and destruction of farms and traders’ stocks, infrastructure such as bridges and roads have been destroyed in Bayelsa.

“Livestock and fish farmers have lost so much too, as spaces overflow and caused death or forced sale of livestock or escape of fishes.

“Of great significance is the spreading of pollution from oil spill impacted sites, refuse dumps and, worst of all, human corpses.

“The scenario in the cemetery in Yenagoa, where corpses reportedly came up floating is a sad and unfortunate reference point.”

Morris lamented the health and socio-economic implications of the flooding and urged the authorities to accordingly rise to the occasion.

He stated: “There is need for related distribution of drugs to residents and medical outreaches to all affected communities in the state.

“So far, the Environmental Rights Action has heard of five deaths relating to this flood.

“Only yesterday, ERA received calls in connection with a Hausa man who drowned last Sunday while trying to cross the Epie Creek at Igbogene. His corpse was discovered on Wednesday.

“Earlier a boy also drowned around Igbogene community. We also heard of another death at Adagbabiri and two others.”

Controversy trails disaster in Delta

Eugene Uzum, a member, 2022 Delta Flood Management Committee and Director-General, Delta State Orientation Bureau, dismissed the allegations of non-release of funds to facilitate the work of the flood committee, adding that funds had been made available through an inter-ministerial committee established by Governor Okowa.

But lawmaker representing Bomadi Constituency in the State Assembly, Hon. Kenneth Preyor, contradicted the position of the flood management committee on funding.

He said no financial assistance had come from the flood committee in aid of flood victims in his constituency, adding that public spirited individuals had tasked themselves to provide palliatives.

Preyor appealed for urgent assistance from the Delta State Government, adding that he had written several letters to the relevant authorities.

He, however, praised the state interventionist agency, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) for responding to their needs by providing palliatives.

According to Hon. Preyor, although the floods have not taken over the entire hospital, it has submerged the hospital’s morgue.

He appealed to government to establish an IDP camp in the Bomadi axis to accommodate the influx of distressed persons from neighbouring communities.

His words: “Government has not established any IDP camp here and this is making a bad situation worse. It is very terrible.

“I have written letters to relevant authorities to come to our aid but no response. DESOPADEC has not responded to our pleas for help.

“On our own, we, the elected and non-elected leaders, are organising to reach out to our distressed constituents. I can only reach Bomadi through Warri by boat. My house is under water as we speak.

“The flood has not taken over the whole hospital premises, but the morgue is under water, causing dead bodies to be washed off. The concerned authorities are taking steps to rebury the bodies.”

Floating, decomposing corpses have grave medical conditions – Medical experts

Ex-Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Delta Chapter, Dr. Uyi Osarenkhoe, said if the report of floating corpses were true, government must act fast to prevent an epidemic.

He said the issue of unchecked floating corpses has implications beyond the health on residents, adding that the emotional and psychological trauma on residents cannot be overstated.

His words: “If it is true that dead bodies are washed off, then that is bad news. Outside the health implications, there are emotional and psychological implications on residents to watch the bodies of their loved ones floating around.

“There is also a high risk of contamination of water bodies if corpses are not properly interred. And we know there are no pipe borne water in those communities who depend on streams for domestic use. So the risk of an epidemic is high.

Another medical practitioner, Dr Michael Azezi, said decomposing corpses floating freely on flood waters have grave health implications for people.

Azezi, a former Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Bayelsa State chapter, also queried the depth of the grave, saying the dead bodies must have been buried in shallow graves for the floods to be able to wash them up.

The medical doctor said: “There are a lot of public health implications for corpses buried in the cemetery to come out of their graves. First, the burial method was not properly done because the graves may have been too shallow, which is not good enough.

“They need to bury people in such a way that no matter the flood, the corpses will not be affected. For corpses that are decomposing to come out of their graves and floating freely on the flood waters is awful, because flood waters flow to everywhere.

“There are people living in their houses with the flood waters, there are people who wade through the flood waters and there are people who by mistake flood water can enter into their mouths or other parts of their body.

“Therefore, it is a very bad thing for decomposing corpse to get to the homes of the people.

“Of course, in this environment, people use the water to wash their clothes, take their baths and even wash their plates.

“Even though they don’t drink from it, it has severe health implications. It will spread infections particularly water borne diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid, hepatitis and others.”

On the chemicals used for fumigating the environment after the reburial, Azezi said chemicals don’t stay only where they are sprayed because they flow with the water.

Giving further insight, the medical expert stated: “If you spray any chemical in the water, the chemical will not stay in that place you sprayed it, because as water is flowing, it will get to other people.

“That itself is not the best way to decontaminate the corpses. What they should have done is remove the corpses from that place and decontaminate them before reburying them.

“If they are going to do any containment of the water, it becomes very difficult because the water is not circumscribed into a particular area.

“If you spray chemical on the water, it will spread to other places because flood waters have current and wave and they move from one position to another.

“That is a very precarious situation even though there is no other way government would have done sincerely by decontaminating the immediate surroundings.

“But even at that, we know that water is not something you contain in one place since it is flowing with that pressure.

“If the water was in an enclosure, it would have been a different thing. So, the chemicals themselves as well as the decomposing corpses have grave public health implications.”

Azezi, therefore, advised the people living in the immediate environment to actually seek medical help by going to the hospital and get some basic investigations.

He added: “If possible, those living around the cemetery area are the first set of people government should have evacuated because of additional health implications of corpses flowing freely in that environment.

“They should have removed those people from that place. They need to go for check-ups and also it is not still too late for government to evacuate them from the area.

“Sometimes when you have all these contaminants, all of them don’t flow with water, some may still be deposited within the vicinity of that place and they will continuously be exposed to the contaminants of that water and that can lead to further health problems.

“They should still be evacuated from there and taken to hospital to do medical examination and if possible some form of medications should be given to them as a way of protection.” Residents dispute claims of floating corpses

But some residents disputed the reports that corpses were exhumed by floods in Bomadi LGA and left floating around.

They also denied that the morgue at the Government Hospital, Bomadi was submerged.

In a telephone conversation with our reporter, a resident identified as Fun-ororo Narebor Esq. said the flood only wreaked havoc in the community, displacing residents and destroying farmlands, like in most affected places.

He explained that the mortuary attendant only made provision to move the corpses should the morgue become flooded.

Narebor said: “It is not true that buried corpses were floating because of the flood here.

“The morgue was waterlogged but was not taken over by flood. The mortuary attendant only tried to prepare a platform to place the bodies in case of eventuality.

“As of today (Friday), the water in the area has drastically reduced.”

Another resident and member of Bomadi Community Committee, Anderson Clark, debunked the report of floating corpses in the community.

He said: “In this Bomadi, nothing like that happened. I am a member of the community committee. We only have people whose homes were flooded and they are right now living in the secondary school where displaced persons are camped.”

Efforts to get comments of the lawmaker representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency, Hon Nicholas Mutu, were unsuccessful, as calls made to his phone went unanswered.

The Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ononye Mordi, assured that the epidemiology department was assessing all possible health hazards that might emanate from the flooding.

He said health workers had been deployed to all flood affected areas and Internally Displaced Persons camps to monitor and attend to health-related issues.

“First of all, the ministry is on alert to see that we are up to speed with the emerging health challenges. We have set up clinics in all the IDP camps.

“We have sent doctors, nurses and other health workers to other places where people are camped even though they may not be official camps, to see that we offer them medical service, consultation and all that is connected to it. We have had deliveries taken.

“The epidemiology unit of the ministry is also working from community to community, from camp to camp to ensure that health hazards are identified and appropriate measures to mitigate them are put in place.

“Immunization, health education and all manner of health services are going on not just in our camps but in communities where we have had issues with flooding.

“Like you talked about corpses floating, we have not had any official reports of that; not official reports of persons who are missing and so I can’t comment on that.

“All I can say is that we are on top of the situation and doing all that is possible to ensure that no issue of public health importance arise from this unfortunate flood disaster,” the commissioner said.