By Haruna Aliyu, Birnin Kebbi
Independent survey carried out by Vanguard in Kebbi state revealed that from 2023 to 2026 no fewer than three thousand and twenty-nine houses were razed by flash floods in the state.
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Investigations also revealed that over four thousand households were displaced by flash floods, forcing the victims to take refuge in schools some in their relatives houses.
However, some of the victims attributed it to lack of waterways that could have come with township roads drainage, though some of them admitted that they unknowingly built on waterways which aided overflow of rainwaters into their houses.
Mustapha Bello, a resident of Sakita under Bayan Oando area in Birnin Kebbi, decried lack of drainage in their area. He said although their area is a floodplain, if government can build township roads with drainage their plight would be a thing of the past.
Relief packages
Some residents (who don’t want their names in print) said that they have received relief materials from both state emergency management agency and NEMA. But they appealed to government to resettle them to safer places because most of them are poor.
Tsahara Lawali of Rafin Atiku area, a flood victim, stated that when Rafin Atiku famous stream was filled up during Saidu Nasamu government even during rainy season, they slept with their eyes closed. But now that the rain waters are gathering momentum, increasing in every rainy season, flood has forced them to relocate to safer places.
She confirmed that Kebbi government periodically evacuates drainage in Rafin Atiku, but that much more needs to be done to arrest flash floods.
Relief assistance
Lawali stated that government, through NEMA, had visited their area and donated food and building materials to mitigate their suffering. But she also pleaded with government to revisit Rafin Atiku stream.
Government reacts
Though the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Yakubu Ahmed BK, could not be reached for comments, another government official, a special adviser to the governor on communication and strategy, Alhaji Abdulllahi Idris Zuru refuted assertions made by some victims.
According to him, Governor Idris inherited all the flood problems and had confronted them with vigour through massive constructions of drainage and township roads in both urban, semi-urban and villages with inherent flood problems.
Zuru added that since before the NIMET flood warning, Kebbi State was proactive as it didn’t wait for flash floods to come before putting strong rapid response mechanism in place. Example are regular drainage evacuations, resettling those already affected by the flood with tangible relief materials in clothing, building materials, medical supplies and food.
Kebbi government had consistently warned those building, or had built, on water ways to desist forthwith because doing so intentionally attracts stiffer penalties.
Vanguard News
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