The Nation Newspaper

Tag: flood

  • Many feared missing, properties destroyed after massive flood in Ogun

    Many, including mother and child, are feared missing  and billions of naira worth of properties destroyed by ravaging massive flood in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, and its environs following about two hours torrential rain that pounded the city on Friday evening.
    Scores of residents were sacked from their homes and shops when their apartments were either submerged or brought down by the flood. Household items, goods and other valuables were destroyed.
    In Omolasho and Kuto, major commercial areas of Abeokuta, goods and structures worth  millions of naira were swept away and emptied into a canal by the Isabo state High court area where the flood was most violent and fiercest.
    Dozens of vehicles packed by the roadsides were also submerged with some of them dragged into gullies and pits.
    The Nation sighted some youths battling to dig up one Toyota car  buried near the Holy Cross Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, by the devastating flood.
    Areas most hard hit are Ijaye, Omolasho, Kuto,  Isale Egbein and Ijeja where the flood damaged the bridge linking Ijeja and other parts of the state capital.
    The Archdiocesan Headquarters of the Celestial Church of Christ, Ijaye, Abeokuta was also severely hit and dozens of home within the area   affected as some of the residential buildings either collapsed, tilt or got weakened as to make them unsafe for habitation.
    The rain which started around 4:30pm yesterday caught Abeokuta residents  unaware, brought in in its trail flood and devastation.
    Thousands were locked down for hours following the massive flood that took over all access roads.
    In Ago Ijesha area, unauthorized persons, at different times, told The Nation that a mother and her toddler – daughter were swept away by the flood during the torrential rain.

  • Flood Kills 10 in Niger

    ….9 Bodies Recovered, 1 still Missing

     

    Ten people on Monday evening were killed when a high current flood water swept them in its wake during a heavy downpour in Rafi Gora community and Angwar Nasarawa in Kontagora local government area of Niger State.

    Seven of the victims were girls between the ages of 16 to 18 years.

    The Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Inga who confirmed the incident said the Angwar Gora incident claimed seven lives, all girls adding that one other, Malama Harisa Musa is still missing as at the time of filing this report.

    He explained that the victims were at a spot in the lowland where they hawk wares adding that during the downpour, the high current flood water swept them in its wake.

    Among the victims of the incident include Hanifa Mansur, Fauziya Danlumu, Nana Bello Dankayi, Hadiza Auwali, Na’ima Usman, Rashida Sahabi and Khadija Salah while two victims of Angwar Nasarawa incident, Marayam Salihu and Yahaya Salihu were of the same parent.

    Read Also: Flood hits Makurdi

    He said that Yahaya Salihu age eight years had lost his slippers in the flood and his elder sister, Maryam, who was nearby tried recovering the slippers when the flood washed her away, in his attempt to rescue his sister, Yahaya also lost his life adding that the bodies of the two siblings have been recovered and interred.

    He said a boy survived by clinging on to a tree before rescue eventually came his way.

    Inga also said that seven bodies have been recovered from the Rafi Gora incident and have since been buried according to Islamic rites.

  • Four bankers feared drowned in Onitsha flood

    Four bankers were feared drowned following a heavy down pour that wrecked havoc in Onitsha, Anambra state and its environs.

    The deceased, said to be staff of one of the commercial banks located along Obodoukwu road, Ogbaru local government area, were said to be on their way home when the incident happened.

    The Nation gathered that the deceased had boarded one of their official vehicles, having resolved to defy the rain which lasted till after close or work.

    The driver of the vehicle, said to be the bank’s accountant, struggled to beat the flood that had covered the entire road, but could not as the vehicle suddenly plunged into the drainage channeled to the River Niger.

    A trader along Obodoukwu road, who simply identified himself as Okechukwu, said all the occupants of the car got drowned in the drainage as the vehicle was completely covered in the flood.

    “The flood carried the vehicle to the Sakomori (drainage) which is about 15 feet deep and filled to capacity. The driver tried to resist the force of the flood but could not because of the size of the vehicle.

    “I saw about four of them with one little girl as they were panicking inside the vehicle. After the rain, the vehicle was recovered with three out of the four of them,” he said.

    According to him, the corpse of the Accountant was later recovered the next day, adding that it was not certain if the little girl was carried into the River Niger by the flood.

    Another witness who pleaded anonymity, said it was regrettable that the drainage constructed to control the high volume of flood in the area could wreck such havoc.

    “You can see that it is so deep that when the bankers’ vehicle plunged into it, nobody was ready to come to the occupants’ rescue.

    “We watched helplessly as they got drowned. There was nothing we could do considering the dept of the gutter,” he added.

    Efforts to reach the Okpoko Divisional Police Officer for confirmation proved abortive, but a Senior Police Officer who preferred anonymity said they were aware of the incident.

    He however revealed that the corpses had since been deposited in a nearby morgue.

  • 55 Ogun fish farmers lose N100m to flood, rainstorm

    Fifty-five fish farmers in Ogun State have lost live fish estimated at over N100 million to a flood which swept away their ponds following a two-day torrential.

    Their cluster catfish farms are at Idagba area of Ayetoro in Yewa North Local Government Area.

    The fish farms had about 110 ponds, which were submerged by the water from Idagba River when it overflowed its banks.

    It was learnt that the river was the fish farmers’ main source of water supply.

    Some residents defied the downpour and followed the river’s course to catch school of fish the torrent was carrying away from the ponds.

    An eyewitness told The Nation that a basin of table-size cat fishes was sold for as cheap as N4,000 in Ayetoro area by some youths who made a fortune out of the farmers’ misfortune.

    One of the farmers, Mr David Adeniyi, a retired banker who operates a fish farm with his wife, said the flood swept away his seven active fish ponds.

    The businessman regretted that he lost over N5 million to rainstorm.

    Also affected is 76-year-old Pa. Akanni Olateju, who claimed to have lost fish estimated at N6 million to the flood.

    He urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to help the affected fish farmers.

    According him, majority of the affected fish farmers took loans to invest in the business.

  • Ogun farmers lose N100m fishes to flood, rainstorm

    Ogun fish farmers, 55 of them, have lost over N100m worth of live fishes to a devastating flood which swept them away following a two – day torrential rainfall.

    The cluster – cat fish farms located at Idagba area of Ayetoro in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State and housing about 110 ponds were submerged at the weekend when the overflowing Idagba river emptied into them.

    It was learnt that the river which incidentally was their source of water supply, the reason the farms were sited near, experienced overflow with the heavy down pour.

    The Nation gathered that some of the villagers had a luck day as they defied the heavy downpour and followed the Idagba river course to catch swarms of fishes being washed down its path.

    A witness told The Nation that a basin of table -size cat fishes were sold as cheap as N4000:00 in Ayetoro area by some youths who made fortune out of the farmers’ misfortune.

    One of the farmers, Mr David Adeniyi, a retired banker who operates a fish farm in conjunction with his wife, said the flood swept away his seven active fish ponds, lamenting that he has lost over five million naira to devastating rainstorm.

    Also affected is 76 year – old Pa. Akanni Olateju, who claimed he personally lost six million naira worth of fishes to the flood and appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to their help.

    According Olateju, majority of the affected fish farmers invested in fish farm business with loans.

  • Flood hits Makurdi

    Flood has overtaken some parts of Makurdi, Benue State capital, following Saturday’s four-hour rain.

    The rain, which began about 10pm, lasted till Sunday morning and left residents of Makurdi in tears and pains.

    Areas affected by the flood are Wadata, Wurukum market, Vandeikya Street and Idye village.

    A trader in Wurukum market, Chukwudi, said he returned from Onitsha market but everything was destroyed by water.

    A resident of Idye, Tersoo Anande, said his property in his two-room apartment was submerged in the flood. He appealed to the government to build drainage to channel the water during rainfall.

    Flooding in Makurdi has been a recurrent decimal but the government said the cost of building a drainage in Idye to channel water into River Benue is beyond its finances.

  • Residents relish flood-control interventions

    With the ravages of 2012 flooding fresh in mind, there is a sense of relief in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the federal government launches erosion and flood control measures. OLUGBENGA ADANIKIN reports

    It may have happened six years ago, but the 2012 flood across the country is alive and well in memory. It took many unawares, washing away homesteads and farmlands. It claimed lives, forced people from their homes, leaving hunger and sorrow in its trail.

    Will there be an end to flooding? The answer is no and this is due to increasing climate change impacts and continuous rising sea level. These are testimonies that affirm that climate change is real and can only be mitigated through adaptation and resilient measures.

    No wonder residents of the Federal Capital Territory largely hit by flooding, gully erosion among environmental challenges could not hold their enthusiasm during the commissioning of erosion control projects funded by the Ecological Fund Office under the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

    The intervention was at three project sites which cost over N1 billion fully paid for by the Presidency. The projects located in Bwari Area Council and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) costs N650 million, N280 million and N110 million respectively.

    The Vice Chancellor, Veritas University, Prof. Michael Kwanashie was full of appreciation over the Bwari project. He pondered over magnanimity of the government to have interceded in their situation despite being a private university.

    For over four years of the school 10-year existence, creating an access road had been an herculean task due to the huge gully erosion.

    Prior to the intervention, the Varsity community could not access other sections of the institution due to the huge gully erosion. hostel and other building construction was at a halt.

    The VC, who pleaded for more of similar intervention corroborated that for years, the school struggled to erect bigger structures yet persistently hit by severe flood and gully erosion.

    “The University community and our host community will forever be grateful for this intervention. We are happy that the Federal Government considered us despite being a private university, we are able to benefit from government support.”

    Kwanashie was the representative of Conference of Catholic Bishop at the event. He said the intervention made so much impact on the institute’s 220 hectares of land.

    Kwanashie, who is also the VC of Veritas University, expressed satisfactions by the students, management and rural farmers residing in the locality.

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha while handing over N750 million erosion control project to Veritas University described the intervention as part of commitments of the present administration to delivering on its various campaign promises.

    He said the country has witnessed tremendous improvement in all spheres compared to the past.

    “The project which is one of the three ecological intervention projects approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2015 was awarded by the Ecological Fund Office Tenders Board on 31st August, 2015.

    “The project is expected to check erosion and flooding menace in the institution.”

    Mustapha added, saying, “The enormous challenges faced by the Veritas University Community as a result of bad roads and gully erosion over the years cannot be overemphasised. The federal government’s intervention has therefore brought a huge relief to the suffering in the university.”

    The SGF reminded the people of President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise that no part of the country will suffer any neglect owing to its geopolitical location or political consideration.

    Describing the project as sincerity of the present administration towards promoting justice, equity and fair play to each geopolitical zone in the country irrespective of the political lining, he advised the community to avoid indiscriminate dropping of refuse into the drainage channels.

    The enormous challenges faced by Veritas university community as a result of bad roads and gully erosion over the years cannot be overemphasized. The federal government intervention has therefore brought a huge relief to the suffering in the university.” He noted.

    At Jikwoyi and Suberu communities in AMAC, residents applauded the federal government for similar interventions describing it as timely and relevant to their survival.

    The SGF commended the contractor Gaffar Worldwide Resources Limited for executing a good job before the delivery date.

    In his remarks, the Project Manager, Michael Chibuzo explained that both projects were delivered in two months despite its six months contractual delivery deadline.

    He lauded the federal government for its confidence on local contractors stressing that such gesture will further create jobs and boost the economy.

    The Permanent Secretary, EFO, Mrs. Habiba Lawal advised the communities to jealously guard the projects.

    “The commissioning and handing over of this laudable project to the befitting institution will no doubt make them take over the ownership of the project to ensure maintenance and sustainability.

    “The resources which the federal government had committed must not be allowed to waste,” she stated.

    Beyond Abuja, similar project was carried out at Ifedayo/Boluwaduro/Ila in Osun and 14 other locations.

    Former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi at the commissioning reiterated Federal Government’s commitment that no project will suffer setbacks owing to its geopolitical location or political consideration.

    The intervention project is also expected to boost social economic wellbeing and development of the people in the erosion prone areas.

    “I have no doubts in my mind that the successful completion would enhance holistic control of soil erosion and flood menace in the communities. This would at the same time reduce dangers to lives and properties associated with erosion and persistent flooding that has been experienced in recent times.”

     

  • Flood kills two, sweeps cars away in Abuja

    Ambrose Umelelle 26 and Esther Aka 20, residents of Kokosu Community in Nasarawa State lost their lives in a flood incident that occurred in Karshi area of Abuja on Saturday night.

    The two persons were among the four whose vehicles were swept away by the flood.

    One of the passengers was however lucky as he was reported to have jumped out of the vehicle.

    The other passenger is still missing with the Search and Rescue team of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) searching for him.

    Briefing the FCT, Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, on the incident, the Acting Deputy Director, Forecasting, Response and Mitigation, Mrs. Florence Wenegieme indicated that upon receiving the information, the Agency immediately arrived the location of the incident and swung into action.

    Mrs. Wenegieme said the efforts yielded results when they recovered the bodies of the two dead early Sunday morning , as well as the Toyota Siena and Space-wagon in which they were traveling.

    “We have gone as far as three kilometres into the waterway without seeing the body, the search continues.”

    Mrs. Wenegieme also reported that the river bisecting the community and neighbouring Nasarawa State had risen above its banks on account of massive rains and consequent flood from the neighbouring hills overwhelming the box culverts and overflowing the roads.

    “Many of the road users had been forced to wait on the banks of the flood when the driver of the Siena wanted to try his luck,” she said.

    Following the sad development, the FCT Administration has called on the residents to be alert to possibilities of flood as the rainy season enters its peak in the coming months.

    It also reiterated its constant call on residents to avoid illegal developments as well as dumping of refuse on water rights-of-way.

    FCT minister made the appeal when he visited to commiserate with people of Karshi over the flood disaster that occurred in their community.

    According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the FCT minister, Alhaji Abubarkar Sani, the minister also conveyed his condolences to the families of the two from neighbouring Kokosu Community of Nasarawa State who were confirmed dead in the flood.

    The Permanent Secretary, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, currently acting for the Minister, also used the occasion to ascertain the extent of damage caused by the flood.

    This, according to him, was with a view to stemming future occurrences of an incident, the scale and nature of which, according to residents, have never been witnessed in the area before.

    He said: “I have directed that our team of engineers should be dispatched to study the situation with a view to stemming future occurrence. From all indications this is a natural disaster. I am happy that our team is on ground for the search and rescue operations.”

    Also speaking to newsmen, the Chief of Karshi, Alh. Ismaila Mohammed dispelled insinuations that the incident was caused by a burst dam, saying: “the dam is still intact and still under construction. I thank the FCT Minister for his quick response in dispatching the FEMA team who have worked with local inhabitants since last night, to retrieve the bodies of the victims.”

    According to the Chief, “this kind of flood has never been witnessed in this community. Weather has been very erratic. We, in the community would embark on measures to ensure that the roads are safeguarded during heavy rains until a permanent solution is found.”

    It would be recalled that last year August, a man and two of his children, a boy and girl died when their Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) entered into a flood in Lokogoma area of the FCT.

  • Agency warns Lagos, Ogun, 32 others to prepare for flood

    The Nigeria Hydrological Agency (NIHSA) on Thursday warned 34 states in flood prone areas to prepare for flood.

    The agency said these states are at risk of river and coastal flooding this year.

    NIHSA stated these in its 2018 Annual Flood Outlook.

    It projected flooding in 78 local councils across the country.

    The states with high risk of river flooding are – Sokoto, Niger, Benue, Anambra, Niger Delta, Anambra, Ogun-Osun, Cross-River and Yobe.

    Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Ondo States may likely experience coastal flooding due to rise in sea level and tidal surge which would impact fishing and coastal transportation.

    Major cities like Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Yola, Abuja, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Calabar, Jos, Owerri, Oshogho, Ilorin, Awka, Abakaliki and Birnin-Kebbi, are expected to experience flash and urban flooding due to poor drainage system.

    Read Also:  How Lagos flood forced many from their apartments, crippled business activities

    Other cities that will experience urban flooding are – Kano, Yonogoa, Abeokuta, Ado-Ekiti, Lokoja, Lafia, Nsuka, Gombe, Suleja, Karu, Nyanya, Abaji, Onitsha, Sapele, and Hadejia.

    The Minister of Water Resource, Suleiman Adamu, said going by the prediction, water levels on the River Niger and Benue among other major rivers, would rise and remain high during the rainy season.

    “We can however, manage these extreme events in such a manner that their deleterious effects are mitigated and become less devastating,” he said.

    Adamu expressed concerns that some dams in the country were getting silted up and the storage capacity was reducing thus causing water to be spilled through the waterways.

     

  • How to adapt to flood, storm, by UN report

    A newly-released United Nations (UN) report has   detailed how to adapt to climate change impacts, such as increased flooding or intensifying storms in human settlements, from mega cities to villages.

    Importantly, the report provides hands-on tools that national and subnational governments can use to build climate resilience in collaboration with communities, civil society organisations, research centres and the private sector.

    Released by UN Climate Change and prepared under the Nairobi work programme, the report, titled: “Adaptation in human settlements: key findings and way forward”, aims to share good practices and lessons learned to date and will be taken forward at an event at the May Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

    The report is said to be timely as both the contribution to climate action by cities as well as urbanisation are increasing world-wide. Already, more than 50 per cent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a number which is expected to about 70 per cent by 2050.

    Climate change is reportedly exacerbating the vulnerability of human settlements to natural and human-made hazards globally to a disproportionate degree, especially in developing countries, coastal and delta regions and Small Island developing States (SIDS).

    Increasing the climate resilience of human settlements is thus an important measure to protect lives and livelihoods, preserve development gains, and promote sustainable development, according to experts.

    Cities around the world have begun realising this and more and more are taking action to increase resilience. Yet given the rate of urbanisation around the globe, more is needed to protect people and infrastructure going forward, says the UNFCCC.

    This often includes the need to close knowledge gaps around the issue for decision-makers and planners at the national and local levels.

    The report – available in all six UN languages – synthesises the latest experiences of resilience-building in human settlements by governments and organisations, as well as the latest research in this area.

    Its key findings concentrate on the following areas: assessing vulnerability and integrating short and long-term climate considerations into adaptation planning; the role of national governments in supporting local adaptation, including through national adaptation plans; city to-city partnerships on adaptation to climate change; a key event to build on the report as a launch-pad for boosting resilience in cities, towns and villages.

    During the May Climate Change Conference, which commenced last Monday, a side event will take place to build on the report and its findings and take it forward in concrete terms.

    The side event, tagged: “Closing knowledge gaps on Human Settlements and Adaptation: The way forward”, will discuss opportunities to close knowledge gaps related to human settlements and adaptation for decision-makers and planners at the local and national levels.

    The aim of the event, it was gathered, is to identify concrete proposals with partners to address knowledge needs in the short and medium term. The report and the side event are the result of a seven-step approach that aims at advancing resilience in cities, towns and villages through knowledge.