In Obiakpu, a farming community in Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, Beatrice Okiro braces up to harvest cassava from her two plots of land. It’s only been five months since the planting season began, but Okiro is already preparing for harvest—seven months earlier than planned.
Ideally, she would wait until December for the tubers to mature. But the rains have come early, and the fear of flooding forces her to act in June. This planting season, Ms. Okiro invested over ₦250,000 in her farm, hoping to reap more than ₦500,000. Now, her only goal is to salvage what she can before the water takes everything.
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“If the land gets flooded, I can’t enter again,” she says in an interview in June. “Sometimes the cassava decays in the ground before I reach it. Severely, flooding has damaged cassava and resulted in massive loss of income.”
Flooding has become an annual menace in Obiakpu, where agriculture is a major source of livelihood. Since 2015, the community—one of the largest cassava producers in Imo—has endured recurrent floods, which wash away crops and incomes alike. After the devastating 2012 flood, residents enjoyed a brief reprieve. But by 2016, the deluge returned and it hasn’t stopped since.
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Women like Ms Okiro, who bear the brunt of this crisis, often take on extra work in less-affected areas or trade vegetables like pepper and garden eggs to support their families. But their earnings are no match for the losses.
According to Paul Nwokedi, a community leader, the damage has transformed farming from a dependable source of income into a gamble. A chain of farmland (roughly two and a half plots) typically yields four bags of garri. But in flood years, families barely get a bag.
“Some families invest over ₦500,000 cultivating four plots and expect over ₦1 million,” Mr Nwokedi says. “But when the flood comes, they’re left with nothing.”Rainfall
Rivers Rise, Livelihoods Sink
Obiakpu’s topography—a flat, low-lying area—makes it highly vulnerable. Floodwaters from rivers like Orashi, Ishiobu, and Oguta Lake easily submerge the land, especially when industrial activities disturb riverbanks.
In 2024, Sterling Global, an oil company operating nearby, allegedly breached a riverbank in neighbouring Egbema while laying pipelines. The result was catastrophic: overflowing waters destroyed multiple farmlands.
Theresa Obdohwa, another farmer, owns cassava farms across three locations in Obiakpu, none of which are spared during floods. “I’ve thought of quitting many times,” she says. “But I don’t know anything else.”
A Professor of Agricultural Economics, Ahmed Ladan, said that when water submerges crops—especially those not adapted to aquatic environments—it often leads to their death. “Even if the crops themselves aren’t fully submerged, waterlogged soil can be just as damaging,”he said. “Excess water limits the roots’ ability to absorb nutrients and displaces oxygen in the soil, which plants need to survive. As a result, crops can begin to wither and die, even when surrounded by water.”
Since early harvests affect starch content and crop size, farmers end up with poor-quality cassava. According to flood risk consultant Taiwo Ogunwumi, this not only affects health and income but also causes higher post-harvest losses due to spoilage and food insecurity.
As a result, many farmers now buy garri in local markets at exorbitant prices. A painter (bucket) of garri goes for ₦4,000; a basin can cost ₦20,000.
“If we plant our own and harvest, we sell for 15,000, that is N3000 per painter,” said Nwokedi. “We can also store and sell in the future,”.
Blessing Ekpereme, another Obiakpu farmer, couldn’t harvest a single tuber in 2024. “I used to afford eggs, meat, rice, and beans,” she says. “Now, I can’t.” Though she replanted in December, she knows the risk of another early harvest looms.
In 2023, both the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Management Emergency Agency (SEMA) distributed relief materials. But as Ms Nwokedi puts it: “That’s not a solution. What we want is real intervention to tackle the flooding problem.”
Ossomala Battles Sun and Water
In Anambra’s Ossomala community—one of 15 that make up Ogbaru LGA—the climate has dealt a different blow. This year, excessive sun scorched the soil, forcing cassava farmers to replant up to three times between November and March. Now, as the flood season nears, they fear the same fate as their counterparts in Obiakpu.
Ossomala, located along the east bank of the River Niger, is known for its robust yam and cassava harvests. But this geography also places it directly in the floodpath when the river overflows.
“Those who planted in November had to replant by March,” says Ogo Ifeanyi, a women leader. “Now, those crops won’t mature before the floods begin.”
Ngozi Chukwuma, a cassava farmer and member of a women’s cooperative trained by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), has been hit hard. Her crops—meant for processing pastries—were ruined by the sun, forcing Ngozi Chukwg her to buy cassava at high market prices. “I’ve given up hope,” she says. “My business and my family’s income are affected.”
Nduka Ngozi planted Cassava in November 2024 and was able to start harvesting by June. But she too knows what’s coming. “By the time you return in July, you won’t recognize my farm—it’ll be underwater,” she says.
To access her farm, she uses a canoe. If the floods come too quickly, she hires at list three young men to harvest for ₦15,000 daily. Still, early harvests mean poor yields and unsellable crops. On a good season, Ms Ngozi harvests over five bags of cassava from a plot of land and feeds herself from what money she earns. She also sells ‘Moi Moi,’ a local delicacy made from beans.
In 2022, Chimabele Chukwudifu lost her yam farm to floods. This year, she invested ₦720,000 in 400 heaps of yam. But like many others, she is bracing for loss. “We harvest when we see signs of flood. But the tubers are always too small to sell.”
Beyond yam and cassava, women like Ndidiamaka Nwabueze grow vegetables and pepper. This year, she has already sold 30 bundles of Ugu (fluted pumpkin), each worth up to ₦20,000. But she’s racing against time. “Once the flood comes, I can’t sell anymore,” she says. “I won’t even have enough to feed my children.”
Government Promises, Budget Realities
Despite annual devastation, state responses have been underwhelming. Anambra’s 2024 budget allocated ₦1.175 billion for erosion and flood control but released just ₦248 million—only 21.2 per cent. In 2025, it budgeted ₦2.2 billion but had only released ₦112 million (5.1 per cent) by Q1.
Imo State’s situation is not any better. It budgeted ₦12.9 billion for flood control in 2024 and released ₦6.3 billion. Yet, of the ₦5 billion earmarked for 30 specific erosion sites, only ₦1 billion was spent. In 2025, another ₦30 million budgeted for unforeseen flood remediation never materialised.
However, the Commissioner for Environment in Anambra State, Felix Odimegwu, said the state government remains committed to addressing perennial flooding across communities.
“We have established multi-sectoral committees headed by Deputy Governor Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim tasked with early planning and strategic action to ensure swift responses to any emergencies,” Mr Odimegwu said.
He said that residents must also desist from constructing houses along waterways and drainages, or blocking them with waste.
What Can Be Done?
Experts recommend long-term infrastructural solutions. The most important among them is dredging the River Niger to deepen its channel and embankments to prevent overflow.
“Without dredging, the river’s shallow depth makes it prone to flooding,” says Mr Ogunwumi. “Embankments—if well-designed—can act as protective barriers.”
He also urges the use of geospatial technology for flood monitoring and data-driven planning, noting that states like Imo and Anambra must invest in proper drainage systems and early warning infrastructure.
Mr Ladan, a professor, emphasised the need for government intervention to regulate sand mining activities, warning that the unregulated removal of sand from riverbeds and banks diminishes the river’s capacity to hold excess water, thereby increasing the risk of flooding.
He also urged authorities to adopt water harvesting strategies—such as constructing dams, deep pits, and aquifers—to collect and store rainwater or runoff for future use in irrigation, power generation, and domestic needs. According to him, “this represents a more sustainable and proactive approach to water resource management,”.
For now, communities like Obiakpu and Ossomala remain in survival mode—trapped in a cycle of climate disruption, failed harvests, and broken government promises.
“We are helpless,” says Ifeanyi. “But we cannot continue to lose everything each year.”
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