The Nation Newspaper

Tag: flood

  • Council to evacuate flood victims

    Ten thousand people are to be evacuated from 20 flood-prone communities in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

    The Caretaker Chairman of the council, Alhaji Shehu Chacho, who addressed reporters yesterday in Wurno, the local government headquarters, said the affected communities included Gidan-Kamba, Gidan-Bango one and two, ‘Yar-Wurnoni, Gidan-Modu, Lahodu, Tunga, Barayara Zaki, Arba, Koliyal, among others.

    He said a meeting was convened to discuss the planned release of excess water from the Goronyo dam by the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRBDA).

    According to him, the need to evacuate residents was a proactive measure to minimise destruction, adding: “The people in these communities have to be evacuated to primary schools, government quarters and other government buildings.

    “This action becomes necessary to prevent the loss of lives and property.”

  • Flood: N5.3m canoes, sandbags bought

    Canoes and sandbags worth N5.3million have been bought by the Rabah Council in Sokoto State to avert flood, the Caretaker Chairman, Alhaji Zayyanu Gandi, has said.

    Gandi, who addressed reporters in Rabah yesterday, said the council purchased 33 canoes and 20,000 sandbags to prevent flood.

    He said the canoes would be distributed among the flood-prone communities in the 11 wards in the area for the transportation of people, livestock and farm produce, adding that sandbags would also be distributed.

  • Fed govt seeks assistance for flood-hit states

    The Federal Government has called for the release of intervention funds to states affected by flood.

    It also called for the relocation of anticipated and affected flood victims ahead of the expected release of water from Ladgo dam in Cameroon and massive rain fall.

    Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Fatima Nana Mede, who made the call at the weekend said there was need to complete the construction of ongoing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps to accommodate affected persons.

    She called for the completion of the Datsin Hausa dam in Yola, Adamawa State, to check the release of excess water from Ladgo Dam.

    Mrs. Mede said: “The buffer dam (Datsin Hausa), located upstream should be completed within 36 – 48 months to curtail excess release of water from Ladgo Dam, as being proposed.

    “Anticipated and affected victims should also be relocated as soon as possible and intervention funds, from the ecological fund, be released to affected states to construct necessary infrastructures and support the displaced.”

    Mede urged the relevant ministries, departments and agencies to monitor and communicate early warning signs to states as well as local government areas.

  • Traders to Abia Govt: save us from flood

    Traders to Abia Govt: save us from flood

    Traders of Ariaria International market, Aba Abia State have pleaded with the government to save them from flood threatening to sack them from their shops.

    The traders lamented that they were gradually losing their customers to their contemporaries in other parts of the commercial city as their shops have been flood and inaccessible since the rains set in.

    Some of them who spoke to our correspondent, expressed fears that if the situation was not urgently addressed they would risk losing their wares to the water anytime it rains heavily.

    “Remember that there was a time when our neighbours selling drugs lost over N2billion to flood in this area. We weren’t spared either if not that the drinks and fruit juice that we sell can be washed and dried up. But some people that sell travelling bags also had a share of the flood impact.

    “The thing is that since then, some of us now rent or bought out rightly some of the lockup shops upstairs which we use as our parking store and use this place that we are now as our display shop.

    “You have seen it for yourself. How many persons did you see coming into this flood to buy or even to price for anything? Thank God you were here when someone called me to bring something for him at Enyimba. That is how we now sell things here; customers will call you on phone and you will go and deliver the customer’s order wherever he or she asked you to deliver the goods.

    “Thank God that you are here. It is not a rumour. We can only move in and out of our shops with rain boot. The water initially was flushing into that former portion of land initially occupied by fire service not until a structure was erected on the land and since then, it has been from bad to worse situation.

    “Recall that the former governor Chief T. A Orji repaired the Ukwu Mango area which did not also last long before it failed as a result of the inability of water coming from the uppermost part of the market to see where it would flush into.

    “We want the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to come to our aid. We are really suffering and don’t know what else to do. He has started doing roads in Aba. We want him to come to our aid in order to help us come out of this ugly situation that we have found ourselves”, Mr. Joseph, a trader in the A Line pleaded.

    Our correspondent who was at the area, reports that transport fare from Ariaria Police Station to Ariaria Junction which usually cost N50 now costs N100 because of the deplorable road and the effect of flood within the A Line-Ukwu Mango area.

    Governor Ikpeazu recently awarded the contract for the construction and rehabilitation of about seven roads in the commercial cit, promising more dividend of democracys.

    He also said that changing the face Enyimba City is a priority of his administration.

  • Flood destroys 418 houses in Bauchi

    Four hundred and eighteen houses have been destroyed by flood in Misau, Darazo and Tafawa Balewa local government areas of Bauchi State, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said.

    The flood also damaged belongings worth N70 million.

    The Secretary of the Humanitarian Coordination team of SEMA, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, who confirmed this to our correspondent in Bauchi, said: “There were no casualties.”

    He said: “Eighty homes were destroyed in Misau Local Government, with 197 farms submerged. Rice, guinea corn, maize, groundnut and millet were affected.

    “In Darazo Council, 338 homes were washed away.”

    Umar said over 13 communities in Tafawa Balewa Local Government were affected by the flood.

    According to him, the crops washed away in the council included sweet potato, rice, guinea corn, corn, millet, groundnut, pepper and others.

    He said SEMA, in collaboration with other stakeholders, was working to ensure that relief materials were given to the victims.

    The secretary, who said most of the victims were taking refuge in the homes of their relatives, advised people not to build houses on water ways.

    The Disaster Management Coordinator of the Nigeria Red Cross Society, Mr. Yahaya Inuwa Bello, said the organisation had carried out sensitisation campaigns through its divisional offices in Itas- Gadau, Zaki and Gamawa local governments, as part of efforts to reduce the level of damage caused by flood.

     

     

  • Flood looms in Nigeria as Cameroon releases water

    Flood looms in Nigeria as Cameroon releases water

    The Federal Government yesterday urged those living in flood plain areas to relocate ahead of the release of excess water from Lagdo dam by Cameroon.

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Fatima Mede, warned that the impending water and massive rains in the coming months pose serious threat to lifes and properties.

    States most likely to be affected by the release of excess water from the dam include; Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba, Bauchi, Benue and Kogi.

    Mede, at a press briefing in Abuja, said the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had warned of massive rainfall, which could lead to loss of lives, property, outbreak of diseases and disruptions of socio-economic activities.

    She said: “Earlier in the year, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) made its predictions, forecasting among other things that the rains will come late, but when it does, it will be massive and could also be disastrous in terms of the environmental impact such as flooding with its attendant consequences of loss of lives, properties, livelihoods, outbreak of diseases and disruptions of socio-economic activities.

    “The impeding gradual release of excess water from the Lagdo dam by our neighbouring country, Cameroon, which they have hinted could take place anytime soon and the massive rains in the coming months poses serious threat to lives and property. The states that are likely to be affected are; Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, Benue, and Kogi.

    “Rains are also expected to cause flooding in the following states as follows; Soko Rima, Niger, Benue and Anambra. Coastal flooding resulting from sea level rise and tidal surges, this is likely to occur in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Lagos states.”

    Mrs. Mede said N17 billion was spent by government following the 2012 flood.

    Mede said the ministry has called for an emergency meeting of stakeholders to discuss on elaborate strategies for tackling the impeding flood.

    She, therefore, appealed to those living in flood plain areas to take action by clearing drainages, culverts, and canals.

    Mede said: “You will recall that in 2012. Nigeria experienced one of the most devastating floods in decades, with its attendant consequences. This unfortunate incidence cost government about N17 billion, distributed to various states and relevant MDAs, to tackle the disaster occasioned by that flooding.

    “The federal government is deeply concerned about the like loss of lives and property as well as other negative environmental consequences. It is in the light of this that the Federal Ministry of Environment is appealing to citizens living along the flood plains to immediately take action.

    “Clearing of drainages, culverts, canals in their area of jurisdiction, prepare for relocation to areas considered to be safe and remain at alert for any eventuality.”

     

  • APC leader accuses Dickson of diverting N15bn flood money

    APC leader accuses Dickson of diverting N15bn flood money

    • Allegation frivolous, fallacious –Dickson

    A leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Chief Bodi Arerebo, yesterday challenged the state governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, asking him to account for over N15bn he allegedly received from donors after the 2012 flood that devastated the state.

    Arerebo, who is a kinsman of Dickson, recalled that after the flood disaster, philanthropic individuals and organisations, including international donors, gave billions of naira to the state for the resettlement of victims and rebuilding of structures.

    He, however, expressed concern over the money, which he alleged must have been mismanaged, especially as Dickson had yet to tell the people how the flood fund was spent.

    Arerebo, who while addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, insisted that there was nothing on ground to show that the money was used to rebuild damaged structures and resettle victims of the disaster.

    He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the money Dickson got from generous Nigerians and other international donors.

    Arerebo remembered that multi-billionaires, such as Aliko Dangote, Wale Adenuga and others were among persons who donated money to the state.

    He said: “Since 1999, the PDP government has not provided good leadership for Bayelsa State. The case of current Governor, Seriake Dickson is the worst.

    “Dickson has yet to tell Bayelsans how he spent the money for floods victims in the state. The state was ravaged by floods in 2013 and as a result, donations came from Nigerians and international donors to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims.

    “But from the look of things, the governor ate all the money. We do not even see what he used all the money to do. He should come and tell Bayelsans how that money was spent. We are calling on Buhari to investigate the money Bayelsa got from international and local donors for the flood victims. Let him come and tell us how he spent the money.”

    But reacting to the allegation, Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Mr. Fyneman Wilson, berated Arerebo, saying his allegation was frivolous and fallacious.

    Wilson said: “We have a governor who is very careful in the management of resources. If such funds were sent, he would put it back to direct project execution for the purpose of the floods.

    “You are aware that there was a flood management committee that was put in place in this state. They did a lot of remedial work. In Sagbama and many other places, the areas the water passed through to cause floods were blocked.

    “The governor did not tamper with that money and such money did not come to this state. The Federal Government did not give such money to the state.”

    Speaking further, Arerebo said that the APC was ready to sweep the Peoples PDP and Dickson out the Government House, adding that the PDP had failed the people.

    He noted that the APC would provide the needed change for the people, asserting that the defeat of the PDP was imminent.

    “By the next governorship election, APC will win in Bayelsa State. We will win because we have every machinery on ground for us to win,” he said.

    He also said the leader of the party in the state and former Governor, Timipre Sylva, has promised not to join governorship race.

    He said:  “Our leader, Timipre Sylva, confided in some of us that he was not going to run.  We know that the candidate we are going to field for the election will be a person of impeccable character.

    “We know that by the time we present him to Bayelsans, they will appreciate and love him. By February 14, 2016, we will be in the Creek Haven (Bayelsa Government House).”

    He said the gale of defections that had hit the PDP was an indication that the party was finished.

  • Imo prepares for flood

    Imo prepares for flood

    After the horrors of 2011 floods, the Imo State government has taken measures to avert a repeat. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    The warning was dire. The rains this year will be heavy, resulting in flooding, the experts said. Imo State has taken the hint and started preparing against the watery menace. In 2011, the year floods swept through much of the country, the state was considerably affected. Several houses were submerged, farmlands washed off in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area. Parts of Owerri, the capital, and other areas were flooded too. Many residents who were affected by that flood are still reeling from its effects. That is what the Rochas Okorocha administration wants to prevent this year.

    What step is the state taking to avert the flood? It is by coming to terms with how flood causes havoc, in the first place. In prolonged, heavy downpours, rain water finding no drains to flow out, overflows the gutters and other drains and pours into as many places it can find access.

    Imo gutters and drains have been clogged because they are not regularly cleared, but the governor has other ways of doing the same thing. He directed that everybody come out to clear the channels. The people obliged him. Besides, the state also provided trucks and other tools to aid the work.

    The water channels hitherto blocked with illegal structures have been reopened and the drainage cleared of refuse to allow for easy flow of water.

    The state, according the Chief of Staff, Chief Uche Nwosu, is working to realise the Owerri Master Plan, which he maintained will mitigate environmental hazards.

    As a result of the efforts, the state capital is now wearing a brand new look, with the heaps of refuse that constituted eyesore in strategic locations across the city evacuated and properly disposed.

    Imo state, which was among the states that experienced massive flood disaster in 2011, has not been participating in the traditional monthly environmental sanitation, because according to the Governor, Rochas Okorocha, it is not proper to wait for a given date to clean up one’s surrounding.

    However to avert the impending disaster, the state held a compulsory cleanup exercise across the state, which in no small means yielded great results.

    The exercise, which was supervised by the State Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere and the Chief of Staff, witnessed massive turnout as traders, artisans, landlords and various trade associations came out in their numbers to clean up their business places and homes.

    Movements were restricted between the hours of 7.30 in the morning to 10. 30am. At the end of the three hours exercise, mountains of refuse were mopped up and evacuated with lorries that were provided for the purpose.

    The people worked with incomparable sense of commitment, apparently to forestall a repeat of the 2011 flood disaster.

    Most of them who commended the state government for the initiative, however advised that the exercise should be sustained to ensure that the heaps of refuse, which were almost becoming a source of concern for the residents does not return.

    Chief Roland Ibekwere, a Landlord at Douglas Street, noted that, “we are grateful because the exercise has forced most of our tenants to stay at home and participate in the exercise. And the drainages that were blocked for a long time have been reopened again. The reason we are grateful is the participation of the state government in the exercise by promptly evacuating the refuse, which had been our challenge in the past”.

    The Deputy Governor, in his remarks, commended the people for coming out en mass during the exercise to clean up their environments and business centers.

    He expressed satisfaction over the enthusiasm displayed by the residents of state to join hands to making it the cleanest State in the Federation.

    Madumere who described the exercise as a huge success said it was part of the vision of the Okorocha’s administration to avert all flood related disasters and make the State the most desired haven for tourists and investors.

    He noted that the monthly Clean-up seeks to make the State the most friendly and healthiest environment with healthy and energetic work force.

    The Deputy Governor therefore advised the people of the state to always “dispose their refuse at the right places and stop littering the environment”.

    He warned against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in gutters and drainage, adding that “such unhealthy habit causes flooding and breeds mosquitoes, which causes malaria and other deadly diseases”.

     

  • Flood kills two in Plateau

    Flood kills two in Plateau

    Two persons on Wednesday died, following the flood caused by a downpour at three communities in Gindiri Chiefdom of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    One is still missing. The paramount ruler of Pyem Chiefdom, Mr. Charles Mato, told the council Chairman, Mr. Bise Titus, when he visited the scene.

    Titus described the incident as “very devastating and unfortunate.”

    He was told that the flood destroyed houses, farmlands and crops worth millions of naira at Gindiri, Langai and Gimti communities.

    “This flood that brought about these losses is devastating, painful and unfortunate. But we must seek solace in God, who knows the best.

    “With the loss of precious lives of our people, the authority will take the report to the government to help us build the Gindiri-Langai Road to check incessant flood,” Bise said.

    He said the flood was caused by the blockage of the drains by the culverts built on Rivers Langai, Gimti and Gindiri.

    Bise pledged to liaise with the government to ensure that road and bridges were built to avoid a recurrence.

    Sympathising with the victims, the local government chairman pledged the council’s readiness to assist them.

    He urged the people to be vigilant, to avoid more casualties, as the rains were still heavy.

    Mato thanked the chairman for the visit and hoped that the state and local governments would assist the victims.

  • Flood destroys 148 houses in Sokoto

    One hundred and forty-eight houses were destroyed by flood, which ravaged parts of Gwadabawa Local Government Area of Sokoto State last Saturday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the disaster struck the headquarters of the local government and Galadunchin-tsauri, Gidan-Dogaza, as well as ‘Yar-Gada villages.

    The Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the council, Alhaji Aminu Aya, told reporters that nobody died.

    He said most of the victims were squatting with relatives and neighbours, pending the rehabilitation of their houses.

    “Farm produce stored in silos and farmlands have been washed away. The extent of damage caused by the disaster has been conservatively put at millions of naira,” Aya added.

    He said the council had set up a seven-man committee, which had assessed the extent of damage.

    “We have reported the disaster to the government through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

    “We are, therefore, appealing to the state and Federal Government to help the victims, as they have lost everything.

    “We have earmarked N820,000 for the purchase of relief materials to be donated to the victims.

    “They include food, blankets, rubber mats and others to help in providing succour to them,” Aya said.

    One of the victims, Buhari Alhassan, said he was happy that nobody died. He appealed to the state and Federal Government, as well as donor agencies to assist them.

    “We have lost our belongings and food to the disaster. We are surviving through the mercies of God, relatives and well-wishers.”