People living in flood-prone areas urged to relocate

Officials of emergency management agencies in some states of the North East said that concerted efforts were being made to relocate people living in flood-prone areas to safe places.

The officials made this known in separate interviews with correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.

They also said that enlightenment campaigns had been intensified against the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in water channels and need for people in flood-prone areas to relocate.

In Adamawa, the Executive Secretary of State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Mr. Haruna Furo, said the state government had set up three committees to manage the threat posed by the flood.

Furo said that the committees were those of monitoring and gauging dams, identification of safe zones, as well as assessment and resettlement of victims of the flood disaster.

He said that so far, two safe zones had been identified in the state for possible relocation of communities living in flood-prone areas of the state in case of flooding.

Furo said that the measure became necessary as about 60 percent of the state population lived under the threat of flood from Dadinkowa, Kiri and Lagdo dams.

He explained that nine local government areas, comprising Fufore, Girei, Yola South, Yola North, Demsa, Numan, Lamurde, Guyuk and Shelleng, had been identified as more prone to flood disaster in the state due to their location along river banks.

The official explained that so far this year, four people had lost their lives while properties worth millions of Naira were lost to a flood in the state.

Furo blamed indiscriminate allocation of land, improper town planning and dumping of refuse in wrong places, as some of the factors responsible for flooding in major towns of the state.

In Borno, some residents of Maiduguri are expressing fears about the possibility of flood occurring in the town in 2016.

Malam Bukar Wasala, a resident of Ruwan-Zafi, lamented that his house had already been flooded with water, with just a few rainfalls in the season.

He said that the problem of flooding had been a re-occurring event in the area.

“We faced the problem of flooding every year in this area, sometimes we have to evacuate our belongings to other places pending when the rains will stop before coming back.

“Our basic problem is the lack of drainage system in the area,” Wasala said.

Another resident, Malam Garba Muhammad also noted that the problem had been the lack of water channels.

“The problem is that our area is not a government planned residential area; most people built their homes where they wanted.

“Some of these houses were built on water channels, thereby blocking water passage,” Muhammad said.

Reacting, Malam Nasiru Surundi, the Sole Administrator of the Borno Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA), said the government had put in place machinery to address the problem.

Surundi pointed out that the agency had evacuated all drainage before the advent of the rainy season to prevent flooding.

He blamed the problem on residents whom he said were in the habit of dumping refuse in drains.

“We took a precautionary step before the commencement of the rainy season by clearing all drains, but people continued to dump refuse into the channels,” Surundi said.

He said that the agency was working on a collaboration with a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), Action Against Flood, toward providing lasting solutions to the perennial flooding.

However, in Jigawa, the State Emergency Management Agency said already, 1,706 persons had been displaced by flood in 2016.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Alhaji Yusuf Babubura said in Dutse that the flood affected seven local government areas of the state.

Babubura disclosed that Hadejia, Malammadori, Ringim, Babura, Kirikasama, Jahun and Suletankarkar were the local government areas affected in the state.

He said that in the last few weeks, three lives had been lost to flood in Jahun, Ringim and Maigatari Local Government areas.

According to him, heavy rainfall and the inability of some residents to clear drains before the beginning of the season are responsible for flooding in the state.

The Secretary stated that the effects would have been more devastating but government relocated people that lived around river banks to safe places in the state.

“Government cannot handle the situation alone; people need to assist in the clearance of drains in the state.

“Before the commencement of rainfall this year, we used jingles on radio and television to sensitise people on the need to evacuate their drains to allow free-flow of water in order to prevent flood,” he said.

He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government and other donor agencies to assist the state in alleviating the suffering of the victims.

Meanwhile, some residents of Hadejia town in Jigawa have called on the state government to construct drains to check the recurring problem of flood in the area.

They told NAN that flood had been wreaking havoc in the area for the past 15 years due to the inadequacy of drains.

According to them, the flooding is usually caused by the overflowing of water from Hadejia River, which natural course often gets blocked by typher grass.

The traditional ruler of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, also called on the state government to assist the victims of the recent flood disasters in the state.

He said that such support would go a long way to mitigate the sufferings of affected families.

In Gombe, as part of precautionary measures, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management (SEMA) have warned those living in flood-prone areas, to relocate to safe places.

Malam Saidu Minni, Head of Operations, NEMA, Gombe Operation Office, said the warning became imperative to avoid loss of lives and property.

He called on the public to also desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways.

Malam Mohammed Garba, Acting Head, Rescue and Rehabilitation, SEMA, said that so far in 2016, no reports of flooding had been received in any of the 11 local government areas of the state.

He said in 2015, floods were recorded in five local government areas of the state, saying “we are praying that nothing of such happens in 2015.”

Garba attributed this development to efforts of the state government in clearing waterways before the commencement of the rainy season and the constructions of new township roads with large culverts.

He called on people to always be watchful of the areas they lived and relocate to safe places should they anticipate any impending danger.