The Nation Newspaper

Tag: flood

  • Rep seeks Fed Govt help for flood victims

    A House of Representatives’ member, Chricato Ameke, has urged the Federal Government to assist his constituency in Anambra State to forestall the outbreak of epidemic following the floods that recently ravaged the community.

    Ameke, representing Anambra East/West, addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja.

    He showed video footages of several communities that had been submerged in the floods.

    According to him, over 1,000 people were rendered homeless and property worth over N1billion were destroyed.

    The lawmaker said torrential rains, which began on September 1, as well as the water purportedly released from a dam in the Republic of Cameroon, caused the floods in Anambra East and West.

    He said the victims might face starvation following the destruction of food crops in his constituency.

    Ameke urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to bring materials to the victims.

    He said the Federal Government had not sent materials to his people, adding that a part of the Ecological Fund should be released to address the disaster.

    The lawmaker said he had spent about N2.2million on materials for the victims.

    He hailed Governor Peter Obi for his prompt visit and for the materials sent to the victims.

  • Flood of fury

    Flood of fury

    Kogi residents groan under the burden of   flood

    These are not the best of times for many Nigerian communities ravaged by floods. This is particularly true of communities on the banks of Rivers Niger and Benue, particularly Lokoja. In the last couple of days, the Kogi State capital has had to pay a huge price for its status as the nation’s confluence town—the meeting point of two of Africa’s largest rivers.

    In Kogi State, no fewer than 20 communities have been sacked as River Niger on which they had depended for fishing activities bares its fangs after overflowing its bank. Properties that run into billions of naira are believed to have been destroyed while hundreds of families in the state are believed to have been rendered homeless.

    In Lokoja alone, more than 10,000 people were reckoned to have been displaced by the flood. The areas mostly affected include Adankolo, Gadumo, Kabawa, Ganaja and Sarkin Noma. Other villages at the bank of River Niger bank were totally submerged.

    At Okumi and Banda, two villages located on the Lokoja-Abuja highway, it is difficult now to believe that people once lived in the area. In Koton Karfe Local Government Area, more than seven thousand people were rendered homeless. The most affected communities in the local government include Kpareke, Irenedu, Okofi, Gbangede, Osuku Ugwo, udumose and edegaki. The residents have all moved to neighbouring Adangere where the state government has created 18 camps to accommodate the victims.

    Ibaji Local Government Area in the eastern part of the state was not left out. The entire residents of the local government were sent parking by the flood. The people have since moved to the neighbouring Idah Local Government Area. Other local government areas like Bassa, Omala and Ajaokuta hardly fared better.

    All together, the state government has created more than 60 camps to resettle the affected people.

    The plights of residents were shared by travellers on the ever busy Lokoja-Abuja Road. Many of them had to abandon their vehicles and cross the deluge of water on the road with the aid of canoes to Banda village where a new motor park has suddenly sprung up to continue their journey.

    On Monday, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) announced the closure of the Abuja/Lokoja highway and directed motorists to other routes through which they can get to Abuja. A traveler, Musa Hassan, told our correspondent that he had spent a whole day in Lokoja because the trailer in which he travelled form Enugu could not cross the flooded road. He had heard about the flood and had deliberately travelled in a trailer, thinking that it would be able to weather the flood.

    “I never knew the situation was that bad. I thought the highly suspended trailer I entered would easily pass through the flood, not knowing that the flood is capable of swallowing even a caterpillar,” he said.

    Hassan added that he had to pay the canoe men who was making brisk business from the situation as much money as he had paid the trailer for Enugu to Kaduna, including the payment for his luggage, just to cross the deluge of water.

    Commercial boat operators and okada (commercial motorcycle) riders abandoned their routes on the River Niger and the township roads to the flooded area to do brisk business. An okada rider, Akoji Samuel, told The Nation that he had made much more money from the flooded road than he had ever done before, charging between N200 and N500 for rides that might not last for more than two minutes.

    A canoe paddler, who would not disclose his name, said he charged between N500 and N1000 per passenger. His canoe was capable of taking about nine passengers at once.

    Meanwhile, flood victims are enjoying some succour from a rehabilitation centre the stte government has set up at Adankolo area of Lokoja. The refugees also appealed to the Federal Government to assist the state government in cushioning the pains of their losses.

    The refugees, mostly youths, said although the state government was doing it best, there was more that needed to be done. One of them, Ismaila Isah, said he had to go to a nearby bush to answer the call of nature because there were no toilet facilities at the camp.

    But the state’s Commissioner for Environment, Abdulrahaman Wuya, dismissed the claim as false, saying a primary school was being used for the camp and the government had rehabilitated all the toilets.

    “You would agree with me that all primary schools have toilets for its pupils, and all the toilets have been rehabilitated,” Wuya added.

    Several Federal Government delegations and agencies have visited the state to assess the extent of the damage done by the floods. Senate President, David Mark, who visited the state governor, Idris Wada, promised to discuss with the relevant Federal agencies to quickly intervene in the matter.

    Mark said while a notice had been served by weather experts on the flooding, the huge devastation wasnot expected. He promised to discuss the matter with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant agencies to come to the aid of the flood victims.

    He also charged Governor Wada to act fast in order to prevent an epidemic of water borne diseases the state.

    Other top government officials who had visited the state at press time include Senator Smart Adeyemi and Hon. Umar Buba Jibrin. A presidential delegation led by the Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mai Lafiya, also visited.

    Lives lost, vehicles and houses submerged at Ojukwu’s birth place, other Niger communities

    For communities located along the plain of Rivers Niger and Kaduna in Niger State, especially those at the downstream part of the nation’s three hydro-electric power stations at Jebba, Kanji and Shiroro, flooding is an annual occurrence. This informed the age long agitation by the Niger State Government as well as Kebbi, Kogi and Kwara states for the establishment of a Hydro-Electric Power producing Area Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

    This year, however, the floods are not ravaging only the communities along these predisposed areas, they have also overwhelmed more than half of the state. It has spread to other parts of the state which hitherto were free from floods, wrecking havocs on individuals and communities as well as animals, farmlands and property. At the last count, no fewer than 47 lives had been lost to the floods, with over 1,000 families rendered homeless.

    Public facilities and hectares of farmlands in 500 communities in the state have been submerged by flood or washed away by both the excess water released from the three hydro-electricity generating dams and from the heavy downpour in the last two weeks. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NISEMA) put the total cost of properties lost to the floods, which include farmlands and houses, at over N1 billion. Farm produce lost to the floods are also estimated at almost N2 billion.

    Many communities are now cut off from the rest of the world, while others can only be accessed with canoe as most access roads are washed off, especially in the rural areas. Many communities in Bosso, Munya, Chanchaga, Shiroro, Borgu, Mokwa, Wushishi, Bida, Edati, Lapai and Lavun local government areas have been sacked by flood. Worst hit communities include Aza, Egagi, Zdagu, Kpashafu, Ketso, Gbogifu Lenfakuso, Egbagi and Muregi, all in Mokwa Local Government Area. The people of Wuya, Kanti, Dokokpan, Tama and Emimam are yet to come to term with the reality of the devastating effects of the floods as their houses, schools, places of worship and farmlands now remain inaccessible.

    In Borgu and Shiroro local government areas, flood victims are counting their losses. Their houses and business centres are either submerged or washed away. The state capital, Minna, was not spared of the disaster. A family lost two children to the flash floods in Minna. Ten-year-old Mustapha and his 12-year-old elder brother, Bashir, both children of a man named Mohammed Kudu, met their untimely and death after slipping into a flowing drainage during one of the heavy downpours.

    Penultimate Saturday was a sad day for the Gwaibaita family of Gungel village in Bosso Local Government Area of the state. The family was thrown into mourning as two of its members were washed away by the flood that ravaged the village. The bodies of Abubakar and Abdullahi were found several kilometres away from their village the following day.

    Alhaji Usman Adamu lost his car wash centre, his family’s only source of livelihood, located on the Eastern Bye-pass of Minna. The centre was submerged and four cars brought to the centre to be washed were buried in the flood. The flood, which came suddenly, gave Adamu no chance to rescue anything from his car wash centre.

    Lamenting his plight, Adamu said: “I lost everything in the centre to the flood. I will need a lot of money to repair and fix the four cars. The flood that greeted the rain that fell last Friday caught us hands down. My boys had to run for their lives. The stream at our back overran its bank and within five minutes, my car wash centre was totally submerged and the four cars in my care were buried in the flood.

    “I am now left with the burden of fixing the engines and brain boxes of the four cars and repairing the interior of the cars in my care. I have not been able to quantify the cost of these engines, brain boxes and the repairs of the interiors of the flooded cars. These are aside from my two car wash pumps – one electrically operated and the other gasoline propelled, that were washed away.”

    In Zungeru, the birth place of the late warlord, Dim Odumegu Ojukwu, two Fulani herdsmen fell victim to the flood and paid the ultimate price as they were washed away along their grazing route. Many Rice farmlands in the area were also submerged.

    Disturbed by the height of devastation, the flood issue occupied a prime place in the order of the day on Tuesday when the State House of Assembly resumed from its four-week recess. Hon. Bashiru Lokogoma, representing Wushishi Constituency, drew the attention of his colleagues to the destruction wrought by the flood as well as the hardship faced by victims. He regretted that peasant farmers and fishermen in many villages were now living in camps as refuges in their own land. “The victims required urgent attention,” he said.

    The Director-General of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NISEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sabba, said 14 of the 25 local government areas in the state were affected by the floods, forcing the state to establish six relief camps for displaced persons across the state.

    At Nambe relief camp, most of the displaced persons, especially vulnerable women and children, are under intense threat of epidemic as the unending number of displaced persons has overwhelmed the basic facilities provided by the state government.

    Relief however came the way of the victims on Tuesday when Hon. Mohammed Sani Kutigi, a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Emergency Management facilitated the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to bring a million naira worth of relief materials to alleviate the sufferings of the victims.

    Fury of flooding in Cross River

    If children in Cross River State tweaked the popular nursery rhyme a bit to sing, “Row, row, row your boat gently down the street/Merrily, merrily, merrily life is not a treat” it would definitely not be out of place, especially in most parts of the state where streams, rivers and dry land have all but become one massive body of water, following constant incidents of flooding.

    Moving from house to house in most parts of affected communities now necessitates the use of canoes. The consequent hardship on the affected people is enormous.

    Though the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had predicted heavy rains and flooding in most part of of the country, Cross River included, the fury with which the disaster is ravaging communities has been unprecedented. Information gotten from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) indicates that over 42, 000 people across the state have been displaced by the flood this year.

    Eleven deaths have been recorded this year alone according to the agency. In Adim in Biase a nine month old baby, Godswill Echu Okon, was been killed by the rubbles of a collapsed residential building caused by flooding. In Agwagwune, in the same Biase two twelve year olds were swept away. So far about 49 have been hospitalized from injuries caused by the flood across the state.

    Over 4000 farmers have also been affected with about 106, 000 hectares of farmland washed away destroying produces as yams, cassava, cocoyam, melon, rice, vegetables among others.

    Information also made available to The Nation shows that about 1059 houses have been destroyed, especially in the rural areas where they are built with mud bricks.

    Local government areas worst hit by flooding caused by heavy rains include Obubra, Ogoja, Yala, Ikom, Abi, Biase, Odukpani, Boki, Obudu and Obanliku.

    An entire village in Yala Local Government Area, Okpandin, was sacked. Mr Cyprian Idim an inhabitant of the area said, “We have no access to that village again and the people in that village had to be evacuated to other villages. There is no access to that village again. Water has surrounded the village.

    He expressed regret that their farmland had been washed away. “We have no other occupation than farming,” he lamented.

    The recent release of water from the Lagdo dam in Cameroon has compounded the situation by swelling rivers in some communities. Local government areas affected by this include Yala, Ogoja, Ikom, Obubra, Abi, Biase and Odukpani.

    A community Relations Officer in Biase, Uno Ilem, lamented loss of accommodation, food, access to road and other necessities of life.

    Director General of SEMA, Mr. Vincent Aquah expressed fears that the magnitude and severity of damage to lives and property would increase as the level of flood rises.

    According to him, apart from extreme famine that would visit the agrarian communities as a result of the destruction of their farms by the flood housing would be a problem as many are already relocating to make shift shelters.

    “These conditions are far below human standard particularly living in a slum such as this thatch house. Children and women are suffering and there is an urgent need to address the situation before it gets out of hand,” he said.

    He appealed to the Federal Government and international organizations to come to the aid of the state government as it apparently has no financial capacity to effectively manage the situation alone.

    Mr. Aquah said sensitization campaigns have already begun in all the communities along the coastline being affected by the flood said that relocation to higher grounds was the only options for the vulnerable villages.

     

  • Flood: Adaptation is the way out, say experts

    Flood: Adaptation is the way out, say experts

    Going by the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA’s) projection, the flood ravaging the country may consume about one million persons this year. Several states are feeling the problem. They include Yobe, Adamawa, Sokoto, Benue, Kogi, Enugu, Anambra, Delta, Oyo and Plateau, especiallyJos, which before now was the most unlikely place for flooding because it is mountainous. Due to climatic changes, floods have led to many deaths and loss of property as families and farm lands have been wiped away. However, experts have identified adaptation strategies that may help communities combat flooding, reports OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE

    The floods ravaging many states have, again, brought to the fore the vulnerability of the nation to the effects of climate change.

    The flood in Benue affected several communities in Makurdi along the river belt. Nine local government areas were affected in Kogi State, with Ibaji almost completely submerged.

    The Nation learnt that inhabitants are taking refuge in neighbouring communities.

    The other local government areas affected are Bassa, Ofu, Kogi, Omala, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Igalamela and Lokoja, where choice property, including hotels, residential buildings, government offices and fishing communities along the confluence of Rivers Benue and Niger, were virtually submerged.

    It is the same in Asaba, the Delta State capital, where communities and buildings were completely wiped out or submerged.

    At a meeting with the Governor of Kogi State, NEMA’s Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Dr Charles Agbo, who led a team to the state, warned of prolonged flooding as more water would still be released from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon and Kainji Dam with intensifying rains.

    He urged the government to enforce the standard regulation on urban planning and development, as well as relocating communities on the flood plains as a panacea to the problem.

    Agbo warned that even after the floods, most submerged houses may become too weak and no longer safe for habitation, adding that the situation poses potential health hazards .

    He urged the states to support the affected communities, in addition to what the Federal Government, through NEMA would provide for the displaced persons. He called for the evacuation of persons living along the River Niger plains as the dam would attain their highest water levels in 29 years.

    He said residents of the communities should move to higher grounds for safety. Agbo listed the states at risk as Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Kebbi, Anambra and Delta, urging that the states should ensure compliance with the order to avert loss of additional lives and property that would certainly arise in the event of flooding.

     

    Climate Change

    Cimate change is becoming clearer to most Nigerians as they witness the changes in weather formation.

    The issue on the front burner now is how to help people adapt to the consequences of the harsh weather conditions. Scientists are asking governments across the world to help people build resilience to fight the effects of climate change. The idea now is to create a culture of risk identification, reduction, preparedness and mitigation to combat losses.

    While countries, such as Japan and others have responded by building floating houses as adaptation model to withstand the challenge of earthquakes, several developing nations are yet to do anything to adapt to the challenges of flooding.

    A Director with African Adaptation Programme (AAP), an organ of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Climate Change, Samuel Adejumo, said the government should, as a matter of urgency, help the public build resilience to massive flooding and its attendant challenges, which are the off-shoot of climate change. He urged that development models be tailored in such a way that it becomes immune to threats of climatic changes, saying the development models should include housing models, water and sanitation as well as culture.

    An environmentalist, Mr Chukwuma Iloh, argued that adaptation models to check flooding should, as a matter of urgency, include strict adherence to town planning laws and building regulations. He said people seemed not to have respect for physical planning and environmental laws as they get away with errecting buildings on drainage channels and water berths.

    He berated governments at all levels for low implementation of physical planning laws which exacerbate flooding recorded in states as drains are silted and blocked, making it impossible for the smooth flow of water. He encouraged the opening up of drainage channels and maintenance of same.

    Iloh regretted that instead of development based on town planning regulations, people build haphazardly against every norm of decent living.

    An architect, Mr Taiwo Ola, also urged that the government should encourage researches on building materials that are resilient to strong winds and the changing weather patterns, adding that people should be enlightened to know the implications of wrong disposal of waste and its consequences with the increasing incidence of climate change.

    He made a case for effective waste collection, disposal and management to keep the drainages free of filth to aid the free-flow of water in case of heavy rains to check flooding.

    He also encouraged government to do more for the environment through advocacy to key stakeholders on the need to preserve the environment.

    Ola criticised those who throw used nylons and packages from their cars and homes indiscriminately, calling for a stricter law for offenders to check the abuse on the environment.

    He said the panacea against devastating flooding, remains strong resilience and adaptation skills to help people manage the situation which no doubt will come due to the changing weather patterns.

    He enjoined the government to work assiduously to reduce the projected one million deaths through flooding this year.

  • Flood: Uduaghan seeks help from Fed Govt, others

    Flood: Uduaghan seeks help from Fed Govt, others

    Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has urged the Federal Government, corporate organisations, the private sector and philanthropists to assist flood victims in the state.

    He said over 100 communities in 10 local government areas have been submerged.

    The local government areas include Patani, Isoko South, Isoko North, Ndokwa East, Bomadi, Burutu, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, Ughelli North and Ughelli South.

    Speaking in Asaba, the state capital, while reviewing the damage done by flooding, Uduaghan said the situation is beyond the state government’s control.

    He described the situation as “grave and grim”.

    Uduaghan said the River Niger has spread over its banks and its tide is increasing daily.

    He said: “Within three days, the number of communities affected increased astronomically. As I speak, there is the fear of total flooding of the affected communities.”

    Describing the situation as “devastating and a huge challenge”, the governor said most of the rehabilitation camps are already housing about 100,000 displaced persons each.

    He said mattresses, food and medical facilities were being arranged for the victims.

    Uduaghan urged the Federal Government, corporate bodies, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and individuals to partner his administration to bring succour to the victims.

    He said two deaths have been recorded.

    Uduaghan said the committee set up to tackle the challenges of flooding, headed by Deputy Governor Amos Utuama, was working round the clock to alleviate the victims’ suffering.

    He urged the committee to ensure that relief materials get to the victims.

    The governor urged the committee to set up sub-committees comprising residents of the affected communities, to distribute relief materials to victims at rehabilitation centres.

    He urged residents of flood-prone areas to relocate, adding that the government is ready to assist them.

    Uduaghan said: “The river is surging into the communities on a daily basis and increasing in tempo. Let everyone in flood-prone areas come out before it is too late. A stitch in time saves nine.”

    Utuama said it was becoming “increasingly difficult” to access some of the affected communities.

    He said the rehabilitation camps are secured and thanked NGOs, particularly the Red Cross Society, for their support.

    Utuama said the committee would work day and night to bring succour to the victims.

    Commissioner for Special Duties Tony Nwaka said individuals or organisations who wish to assist the victims can call the following numbers: Lagos: 08023270542, 07035010323, tinaonokpise@yahoo.com

    Abuja: 08034534318, 08086661344, restoreinitiative@yahoo.com

    Warri: 08124537414, patrickorigho@yahoo.com

    Asaba: 08037230004, 08034016121, tonynwaka@yahoo.com; julieyoung15@gmail.com

    Uduaghan: 07057007888, 08127770002, 08127770003.

  • Red Cross evacuates 200 flood victims in Asaba

    THE Nigeria Red Cross Society in Delta State has relocated over 200 flood victims to a temporary camp in Asaba.

    Secretary of the organisation Mr. Francis Agarivbie spoke with reporters yesterday in Asaba.

    Agarivbie said the evacuation was done in collaboration with the state government.

    He said some of the evacuated persons had been given mattresses and blankets.

    Over 1,000 buildings were last Monday destroyed by flood in Oshimili South Local Government Area.

    Agarivbie praised the state government for its timely intervention and appealed for the provision of speed boats to facilitate rescue operations.

    He said many people are still trapped in the flooded communities.

    The Red Cross scribe urged the state government to set up a clinic at the camp.

    He urged donor agencies, individuals and corporate organisations to assist the victims.

    Some of the victims said they lost everything to the flood and urged the state government to assist them.

    Mr. Philip Ukadike said: “It is not easy to lose all you have laboured for in life. I am appealing to the government to help us get back on our feet. We need relief materials, so that we can start all over again.”

  • Senate seeks supplementary budget to tackle flood

    Senate seeks supplementary budget to tackle flood

    The Senate yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to submit a supplementary budget to address the immediate needs of victims of flooding in parts of the country.

    This followed the adoption of a motion entitled: “The menace of flooding in Nigeria.”

    The motion was sponsored by Senator Danlandi Sankara (Jigawa North-West) and 27 others.

    The senators urged the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to “take steps to de-silt waterways and tributaries which are silted and taken over by shrubs to allow for channels and easy flow of water to contain the ravaging flood.”

    They enjoined the “Federal Government in collaboration with other relevant agencies to initiate proactive and preventive measures to guard against future recurrence of flood disasters in the country.”

    In his lead debate, Senator Sankara urged the Senate to note that flood has ravaged many states especially those states along the River Niger, River Benue, the Cross River, the Gongola River, the Iyere River and their tributaries.

    The Jigawa Senator also urged the lawmakers to take cognizance of the fact that a lot of people have died since mid-July due to the heavy downpour, while property worth billions of naira were washed away by the floods.

    He noted that thousands of houses have collapsed as a result of the heavy rains, especially in rural areas, across the country.

    He said he was alarmed that in Jigawa State, about 70 per cent of the houses in various communities have collapsed while others were submerged by flood.

    Senate President David Mark lamented a situation where there is no Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to respond to emergencies in Nigeria.

    Mark said the flooding is a clear demonstration that the country is totally unprepared to tackle any natural disaster like earthquake if it does occur in Nigeria.

    He said: “We don’t have a standard operating procedure in this country and again the rehearsal that they were going to do sometimes in Port Harcourt that became a disaster is just a typical example of how unprepared we are.

    “What has happened now shows our level of unpreparedness for any natural disaster.

    “If there is earthquake, God forbid, in this country tomorrow so many people will be dead.

    “The reaction is bad. The reaction time is not there. The response capacity is not there and we will not know what to do.”

    The Senate President noted that the rains have been excessive, but said the relevant agencies ought to have anticipated and prepared.

    Senate Minority Leader George Akume (Benue North West) noted that the flood in Benue State was unprecedented and devastating.

    He said that was the first time he ever witnessed the volume of water from River Benue.

    He lamented that River Benue has not been dredged for the last 40 years and appealed to the Federal Government to dredge River Benue to prevent future occurrence of the kind of disaster witnessed.

    He suggested that there might be need for Nigeria and Cameroon to collaborate to use the Cameroonian dam for the mutual benefit of both countries.

    Senator Gbenga Ashafa noted that last year, there was heavy flood that affected Lagos and Oyo state.

    He said Nigerians must begin to appreciate the fact that what happens in one part of the country affects other parts.

    Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) said the flood in Kogi State has not happened in the last 50 years.

    He said that nine local governments in the state have been submerged while about 9.5 million people were affected by the flood.

     

  • Flood displaced over one million in Kogi, says Wada

    Flood displaced over one million in Kogi, says Wada

    Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State yesterday said over one million people in the state have been displaced by floods.

    He spoke when he received members of the Senate Committee on Ecology at the Government House, Lokoja.

    The governor said his administration, despite its meagre resources, has resettled the victims in camps.

    He appealed to the Federal Government to assist the state financially to ameliorate the suffering of the people.

    Governor Wada said Ibaji Local Government was submerged by the flood, adding that more communities were on the verge of being taken over by water.

    The Chairman of the committee, Senator Bukola Saraki, said they were in the state to assess the level of damage.

    He said they were concerned about the disaster that had befallen Kogi and other states, adding that the committee would assist the affected states.

    Other members of the committee are Senators Barnabas Gemade and Attai Aidoko.

    Fourteen of the 21 local governments are affected by the flood. Prominent among them are Lokoja, Ibaji, Idah, Bassa and Omala.

     

  • Flood is king in Etsako,Makurdi, Lokoja, others

    Flood is king in Etsako,Makurdi, Lokoja, others

    Nigerians seem to be in for hard times as rains pound more cities and towns almost ceaselessly. From Edo, Nasarawa and Plateau to Kogi, Benue and Bayelsa states, many are counting their losses.

    Yesterday, Agenebode, Edo State, was struggling to stay afloat. Roads turned into rivers and people practically swam their way home.

    The weekend overflow from River Niger displaced no fewer than 3,000 persons in five villages in Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.

    The flood devastated the coastal villages and destroyed food crops. Animals were washed away.

    Villages mostly affected include Ekoawele I and Ekoawele II, Oguoyor, Ukpeko-Uzanu, and Ogberaya-Uzanu all affiliate suburbs of Agenebode, where the level of water compelled the use of boats across the ravaged areas.

    Temporary emergency camps have been opened for the victims at Uzanu in Agenebode and the primary school at Adogu Station in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    Chairman of Etsako East Local Government Area Peter Ojor Anyai described the situation as unfortunate.

    Anyai advised victims taking refuge in far away Kogi State to relocate to the temporary camp at Agenebode to get assistance.

    The ravaging flood is also reported to have submerged parts of Etsako Central, destroying farm lands and property.

    Kingdom Heritage Academy Makurdi, a school owned by the Living Faith Church, has been shut down indefinitely as a result of massive flooding of the premises.

    Parents brought their children to school only to find out that water has taken over the entire premises.

    Both Winners Chapel and Kingdom Heritage Academy are located on the busy Makurdi-Gboko federal highway in Wurukum, Makurdi, the Benue State capital, where the flooding has closed down many businesses.

    Many in Sagbama, Bayelsa State and Akwanga West Development Area of Nasarawa State are mourning the destruction of their food crops worth millions of naira.

    Such crops include yams, rice, maize, guinea-corn, beans, soy-beans as well as sugarcane.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident occurred as a result of heavy rain resulting from the over flooding of River Lille, located at the boundary between Kaduna and Nasarawa States, which destroyed food crops.

    More than 60 farmers are affected by the disaster.

    The Village Head of Lille, Mr . Sarki Ibrahim, said the flood was the worst ever to be experienced in the area.

    He said: “The community depends solely on farming for survival; the flood would cause a lot of hardship to the people of the area”.

    Ibrahim described the incident as pathetic, calling for the intervention of concerned authorities to come to their aid and help to alleviate the suffering of the farmers in the area.

    The village head called on the state government and other wealthy individuals to come to the aid of the farmers.

    Rev. Jerry Modibo, a prominent indigene of the area and former Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President in the state, expressed shocked at the situation.

    He said: “This incident would cause a lot of hardship, not only to the people of the area but also to outsiders, who normally buy foodstuff in the area.”

    Modibo urged the government at all levels as well as worthy individuals to come to the aid of the people in to salvage them from the predicament by assisting them with materials to ease their hardship.

    He also called on the government to expedite action to avert the recurrence of the flood in the area.

    The Lokoja-Abuja road remains closed because of the damage done to it by flood.

    Alternative to Lokoja-Abuja Road

     

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said it had worked out alternative routes to and from Abuja to lessen the agony of motorists, following the temporary closure of the flooded Lokoja-Abuja Road.

    The Federal Road Safety Commission on Sunday had announced the blockade of the road due to persistent flooding, which has made the Lokoja area of the road dangerous and impassable as a result of the overflow of River Niger.

    In a statement yesterday, the Deputy Corps Public Education Officer of the commission, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, urged motorists driving from Lagos and wishing to use Okene-Lokoja-Abuja route to divert to Okene-Ajaokuta-Ayangba-Ankpa-Makurdi Lafia-Akwanga-Abuja route.

    Those coming from the Southeast should use Otukpa-Makurdi route, and those driving from Abuja to Lokoja should use Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi-Ankpa-Okene route.

    He said the commission had also deployed more personnel in those routes to forestall traffic gridlock.

     

    Over 10,000 people displaced in Kogi, Benue flood

     

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has deployed relief materials to the camps where over 10,000 Internally Displaced People (IDP) from Kogi and Benue states are taking refuge after they were sacked from their homes with the ravaging flood across north central region of Nigeria.

    A technical team from the agency visited areas devastated by the floods along the banks of Rivers Benue and Niger and their tributaries in states over the weekend to assess the damage and identify suitable intervention required to address the problem.

    According to the team, most of the affected areas remained flooded with most of the displaced persons resorting to taking shelter in four camps.

    The flood in Benue State is said to affect the communities in Makurdi, the state capital, along the river belt, while about nine local government areas were affected in Kogi State, with Ibaji Local Government Area almost submerged.

    Other local government areas affected as Bassa, Ofu, Kogi, Omala, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Igalamela and Lokoja, where property, including hotels, residential buildings, offices and fishing communities along the confluence of Rivers Benue and Niger have all been submerged.

    NEMA’s Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Charles Agbo, during a meeting with Kogi State Governor Wada Idris, warned of prolonged flooding as more water would be released from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon and Kainji Dam with the intensifying rains.

    He urged the government to enforce the standard regulation on urban planning and development as well as permanently relocate communities in the flood plains to safer locations.

    “Even after the flood, most of the submerged houses may become too weak and no longer be safe for habitation, in addition to the potential health hazards from the disaster.

    “Therefore, the states governments must rise up to their responsibilities to the affected communities as the Federal Government, through NEMA, would provide necessary support the displaced persons.”

    The governor expressed concern of the Federal Government towards the flood situation and requested support to reinforce the efforts by the state government to assist the displaced persons. He urged NEMA and other relevant organisations to identify measures to mitigate future occurrence of the flood.

     

    al-Makura donatesrelief materials

     

    Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura has donated cash and relief materials worth over N5 million to over 34,000 displaced persons ravaged by flood in some villages in Toto Local Government Area of the State.

    al-Makura, while donating the money and the relief items to the victims at Umaisha village on Monday, noted that government was sensitive to the plight of the people.

    “It was only right to identify with the people at this trying moment.”

    He said while the government was striving to provide the people with basic amenities, the ones they had, were being destroyed through natural disasters like flood.

    al-Makura urged the Federal Government to come to the aid of the people in the affected communities.

    Also speaking, the Chairman of the Toto Local Government Area, Alhaji Umar Bamu, said that 34,210 persons had been displaced by the flood across seven communities in the area.

    He said about 9,000 houses in the area were submerged by water, among them the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) and a primary school. Crops and other property worth millions of naira were lost to the flood.

    Among items donated were bags of rice, beans, gari and millets.

    Other items included blankets, detergent, toilet soap, palm oil, and body cream.

    The governor was also at the palace of the traditional ruler in the area, the ‘Ohimege Opanda,’ Usman Abdullahi, to commiserate with him and the people of the area over the disaster.

     

    ‘How to escape falling victims of flood’

     

    Minister of Environment Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia has advised Nigerians to adhere to the flood alert system.

    The minister explained that lives can be saved and losses minimised if the alerts are taken more seriously.

    Mrs. Mailafia spoke while sympathising with flood victims .

    The minister said: “The monumental losses suffered in many states, and the destructions to lives and properties call for sober reflection. It calls for review of our strategies and commitments towards mitigating the devastating effects of climate change.”

    After inspecting the flood ravaged parts of the North, the minister reiterated the need for residents of flood-prone areas to heed the early warnings of the ministry on impending floods, and to promptly evacuate to avoid losses.

    The minister appealed to residents to refrain from dumping refuse on drainages, gutters, and the blockage of canals which aggravated floods.

    She warned against building houses in flood plains, or banks of rivers and streams. The minister said there is need to encourage planting of trees to prevent environmental degradation.

    She appealed to people to embrace and adopt the use of alternative sources of cooking energy such as gas stoves, to preserve the country’s forest.

     

     

  • Boats deployed to rescue trapped flood victims in Kogi

    Boats deployed to rescue trapped flood victims in Kogi

    The Nigeria Red Cross Society said on Sunday that it had deployed three boats three boats to the riverine areas of Ibaji Local Government Council of Kogi, to rescue trapped flood victims taking refuge on tree tops.

    Mr Mustafa Allah-Dey, the Chairman of the state branch of the Society, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja that the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) released the boats for the rescue operation.

    Nustafa said that men of the Nigerian Navy and officials of NEMA, SEMA and the state Ministry of Environment were also involved in the operation, adding that many of the victims were said to be in life threatening situations.

    He said that the people should be blamed for their present predicament, adding that they failed to heed several warnings to quit their houses to avoid being trapped.

    The chairman said that he did not have the figure of exact number of people trapped and that no report of casualties been received as at the time of this report.

    He only described the situation in Ibaji as “very terrible”.

    Meanwhile, the traffic gridlock on Lokoja-Abuja road has become more chaotic with vehicles forming long queues on both sides of the road.

    The queue at the Lokoja end of the road has extended to Obajana village, about 15 kms drive to the Lokoja city centre.

    Mr Isaac Martins, the Head of operations of the State Sector Command of the FRSC, who confirmed this to NAN, said that there was not much the commission could do to help the situation.

    He said the problem was particularly with the small cars, adding that it takes officials and youths assisting them an average of 20 minutes to help a car out of the water.

    “ Vehicles are moving but they are moving slowly, that is just the situation at hand now,’’ Martins said.

    He appealed to motorists to make use of alternative roads pending the time the flood would be over. (NAN)

  • Flood, flood everywhere

    Flood, flood everywhere

    Heavy rains across the country have wreaked havoc in the last few weeks, Austine Tsenzughul in Bauchi reports on how the state is coping.

    From Kogi to Benue, and Edo to Ebonyi and Bauchi to Kano the story is the same. Floods, water, destruction, displacement, death and agony. In fact, across all the regions of the country- North, South, East and West- the story is the same. The heavens have opened up as if a fury and the water have fallen ceaselessly, dams have been bursting, some have been opened up to forestall collapse and the fury of the waters have been wreaking havoc.

    The latest spot is Bauchi where scores of hapless villagers and rural dwellers have died. Thousands of homes, farm lands, personal effects and domestic animals and birds have been washed away while several communities have been displaced. Yet the flood has just begun according to Meteorologists. Thus, a resource, rain that should have been used as a source of wealth and bountiful harvest, is threatening the very existence of citizens.

    The case of Bauchi in the North East is complicated with the fact that it is already under the threat of desertification and now faced with acute floods. This year’s rainy season has brought untold hardship to millions.

    Threats of food shortage

    The heavy downpour has cast a dark and gloomy shadow over the expected joy of bumper harvests by farmers across the country. This is besides the threat to lives and properties as well as displacement leading to serious health hazards. This is coming on the heels of warnings by weather forecasters in 2011 and 2012 that heavy rains are expected.

    It is a common knowledge that when such water bursts out, it literally takes control over level grounds and valleys, but not the hills. And so it came with all its force washing away, houses, farmlands, stripping families of their abodes and belongings. It has become a regular sorry-sight that each time the waters receded, it leaves a terrible sight of death and destruction and trails of dissolution and despair on the faces of surviving victims and communities.

    The people of the state and the government have tied their developments to agriculture, being an agrarian community. However, this is now under threat as huge investments in this direction might have been washed away by the flood.

    The concept of wealth from the soil was to develop the rivers into dams and turn their basins into market places for agricultural produce and generate activities that will produce enough food, cash crops and ensure food security for the state and the rest of the country. By so doing, it was the government’s agenda that agriculture will not only ensure abundant food in the state and country, it will further boost farmers’ income and generate foreign earnings as the food and cash crops produced will be either domestically processed and sold to foreign lands or sold as raw materials.

    Based on this noble prospect, the state government as far back as the 80s during the administration of Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari under the political platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) conceptualised the Kafin Zaki Dam Project and even began excavating the site. Although the dam project could not be completed before the overthrow of the government of theThird Republic, subsequent administrations decided to go on with the project. But with the spate of floods the fate of the project now hangs in the balance.

    Now the fate of the Kafin Zaki Dam project is between the communities in the upstream and the downstream as well as politicians who, apparently, and perhaps out of pride in the name of “fighting for our people” feel they need to assess the Environmental Impact Assessment (EPA) or the effect of the existence of the dam on their people’s lives.

    Even with a clearly painted picture of developing the dam that will stem the flooding of communities along the river banks and valleys in the areas it appears those concerned are not ready to come to a round table discussion with the protagonists of the dam who, must have done their homework well enough before proclaiming the positive potentials of the dam project.

    The devastating flood facing several communities in Bauchi State and other communities across the country is unprecedented catastrophe that requires proactive measures because most of these communities and thousands of hectares of land have been submerged in 14 out of 20 local government councils of Bauchi State alone.

    In the grip of disaster

    In Desina Village, a predominantly peasant settlement, 220 houses have been destroyed while in Zigau in Shira Local Council over2,000 farmlands and food crops worth millions of Naira have been washed away by the flood. In the 13 other local government areas, the story is not different as over 30 people have been drowned across the state.

    In the wake of the disaster, hundreds of communities are still struggling to come to terms with this grim reality which of course is the first of its kind in the state created in 1976. Residents of the affected areas have been compelled to seek refuge at various public buildings such as primary and secondary schools built on high level grounds. Community efforts have been focused on relief operations in a race against time so as to save more lives, houses and farmlands while those affected in such areas wait with painful impatience for government’s intervention to reach to the survivors with assistance.

    However, the survival of the victims depend on how quick the authorities are able to respond to their plights as they continue to entertain fear of getting infected by diseases from an unhealthy environment in which they have found themselves and the ensuing environmental degradation.

    Not left out of the flood menace are public infrastructures particularly roads, a situation that is not limited to the 14 local governments alone but across all the 20 councils in the state. The flood has cut off more than 100 communities from either the local government headquarters or even Bauchi, the state capital, thus delaying deliverance of relief materials in some areas.

    While on a tour of the affected areas to assess and determine the extent and the increasing damages occasioned by the flood, the Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, called for the immediate intervention of all the relevant agencies to fix the roads so that relief materials could be delivered promptly.

    Visibly touched by the conditions of the victims in their temporary quarters, Yuguda assured that government will continue to cater to their needs while the federal government would be appealed to, to properly rehabilitate them.

    It was in view of the disaster and the cries of the victims that the federal government recently sent a technical team to the state to assess the extent of the damage caused and recommend how best to sort them out. Incidentally, when the team arrived in the state, there was no way the assessment could be carried out by road because all the roads leading to the 16 villages have been washed away. The team had to use helicopter to get to them.

    Speaking on behalf of the communities, Yuguda suggested to the federal government the need to expedite action on the construction of the Kafin Zaki Dam as a lasting solution to the menace of the flood, besides the relief assistance.

    The Presidential team was made up of the Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Mailafiya, her Water Resources counterpart, Mrs. Sarah Ochepe and Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). They assured the victims of the willingness of the federal government to intervene in their plight.

    But how soon will the intervention come, remains the question the embattled flood victims are asking even as more areas are being flooded almost on hourly basis as dark clouds continue to gather to send down the rain.

    The Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) last week estimated that the state needs about N8 billion to address the environmental damage caused by the flood. While the rampage of the flood continues, some seasonal rivers and streams within the affected councils have been deepened and expanded through erosion by at least 5.5 meters, thus spreading more fear.

    While it is a common knowledge that flooding expands and increases the depth of eroded areas, causing damage to lives and properties, the quick intervention by the state government will serve as a stabilising factor for the continued existence of the villages.

    In addition, the reclaimed and eroded parts of the villages, construction of the washed away roads and hoeing out standard drainages to facilitate free flow of water when next it comes will serve as a breather while such will save over 1,000 houses allegedly built along water ways or channels.