The sight of darkening clouds and the sound of distant thunders are commonplace experience for most people, particularly the residents of Calabar, the capital of Cross River State. Such natural occurrences usually cause people to hurry to their destinations to avoid getting wet or stranded.
For many residents of Calabar, however, they are more than just the warning signs of a rainfall; they are harbingers of nightmares and misery. Rather than just hurry up to their destinations, they launch into prayers and get ready to count their losses again, because each time it rains, their streets and homes get flooded.
At the moment, there seems to be some reprieve with the August break, as the rains appear to have subsided. But with warnings of heavier rains in October, the people are living in fear and uncertainty, especially against the background of their terrible experiences. They have, therefore, sent appeals to both the state and the federal governments to come to their aid before the floods completely destroy their lives.
The plight of these Cross Rivers residents is shared by their counterparts in many communities in Niger State also ravaged by floods after a heavy downpour last Saturday. Residents of Dusten Kura Hausa, Wushishi Housing Estate, Fadikpe, Bosso Estate Okada Road area and Kpagungun in Chachanga Local Government Area as well as those of Shanu and Tundun Fulani communities in Bosso Local Government Area of the state were left to lament their fate after the heavy downpour and the resultant floods that left three people missing and more than 100 houses submerged.
A harvest of lamentations
For Hon. Nsa Ita Okon, who lives at Omori Iso Street behind the Navy Barrack in Big Qua in Calabar, where such serious cases of flooding occurs, something needs to be done urgently to help alleviate the suffering of the people who live on the street. According to him, the cause of the flooding is the poor condition of the street, particularly the absence of drainages to channel water away into the carnal.
He said that the efforts made by the residents of the street to get the situation addressed has so far been futile, as various written appeals and reminders to the state government and the Niger Delta Development Commission were yet to get any positive response.
He said the street had even been marked twice for tarring but had somehow been left out. The first time it was marked for rehabilitation, he recalled, was during the administration of former Governor Donald Duke. The street, he said, is a planned and surveyed layout, with a survey plan dated October 23, 1974.
Okon said: “Any time it rains, the level of flooding here cannot be compared to any other part of Calabar municipality.
“In fact, it is usually so bad that residents have to stay indoors compulsorily to bail out water from their houses before they can venture out.
“And if they were already out, they have to wait for several hours for the flood to subside before they can gain access to their premises
“We are begging the government to come and tar this street and carve gutters to carry the flood water into the big drain that passes through Calabar.
“Whenever it rains, it floods every house on the street and destroys our property. It affects everything in our houses like equipment and books. We live in fear of the rain.
“Once it rains, you cannot get out or come into your house. All the attempts we have made for something to be done about it have not yielded any result.
“We appealed to the state government, local government and even the NDDC, but nobody has responded. We don’t know what else to do.
“We have got to the end of our wits. We are now begging the government to intervene and save us. The street has been marked twice for tarring, but it was never done.
“Even the present government had sent engineers to come and look at it, but they told us there is no money. In the meantime, people are suffering. Everybody is suffering. The government should tar the road and channel the water out to the big drainage to save us.”
At Road Six, Ibom Close in Ibom Layout, Pastor Patrick Asikpo Okon shares a similar traumatic experience. According to him, each time it rains, the whole street, though tarred, becomes like a river and floods every home. He regretted that residents of the area have suffered the same fate for years even though something could be done by government to check the situation.
He said: “I have been living here for some time now, but it has been the same experience. In heavy rain periods like the one of July 1, we have terrible flood. There is no building that is spared.
“We have lost so much. Our property float on water but we have to save our lives first. The government urgently needs to intervene because our street is a close. The end of it is a wall and behind it is a big gutter.
“The gutter is not wide enough to carry the volume of water that comes from state housing, moving through here to the polytechnic where it empties. So what they need to do is to widen the gutter or put more blocks up to reduce the volume of water.
“We have been suffering and it has been terrible. On the 28th of July, it rained again and water flooded our houses. So, each time we hear the announcement on the television that the floods would be more in October, we say the government must intervene now make arrangements to evacuate us from this place.
“We are not talking about long term; we are saying it should be done immediately. It is something that can be achieved. It is just to take engineers who know what it takes to do it. The water fills the gutter and returns to the street and into our houses. We even have a boat on this street that we use whenever it rains. You can imagine that.
“It has been traumatic. I have lost so much with my family. The other day I was inside the water when they brought light. We had to struggle out and save ourselves first. We have lost certificates, vital documents, appliances and so many other things that I cannot count. We have tried to take the problem to the relevant authorities but we have not received any help. We appeal that the government should help us now,” Okon pleaded.
Also lamenting, another resident of the Close, Mr Usang Eno, said: “We have been seriously affected by flood. I had to work on my car because the engine was affected.
“The furniture in my house is bad. Now I sit on the floor because all the furniture was destroyed by flood; even my mattress. In fact, all my property except the clothes I hung in the wardrobe. My credentials were affected and now I am looking at how I can get the photocopies from the office and make more copies. I have even gone to court to swear an affidavit.
“We have been suffering and we cannot leave our houses. Look at the solid houses we built. How can we run and leave them? It does not help matters. But I feel that government can help us with a solution. We are appealing.
“I think we have a listening government, so we are appealing that they should come to our aid and see how they can help to reduce the suffering of people. We have spent so much money on this matter.
“With the prediction of meteorologists that we should expect heavier rains, we are very afraid. If you ask us to vacate, where do we go to? Is there any remedy, like a camp or anything like that? There is no such thing. If you ask us to leave, where do we stay?
“So it is a problem, and we are begging the government to come and help us to address it before the rains come back.”
Residents abandon homes
Another flashpoint of flooding is the Cross River University of Technology quarters, where many residents have been forced to relocate. Residents here complain that water from all over the state capital empty there, always causing discomfort for them.
According to them, various appeals to check the problem through proper channeling of the water has fallen on deaf ears and they keep suffering anytime it rains. Mr Alfred Odey, who lived there, said the rain displaced his family and forced them to relocate from the campus.
Other areas in the state capital with similar tales of woe and strong appeals to relevant authorities to come to their aid include, Eight Miles, Anantiga, Target, Ebito, Atu, Musaha, Murray, Nelson Mandela, Yellow Duke Streets and even farmlands at Anantigha. Others include Asari Eso, Akai Effa, Essien Town, Murtalla Mohammed Highway, State Housing Estate, Efio-Ette junction, Parliamentary Extension.
Acting Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Ayim Princewill, had variously urged those living in the flood prone areas to move to higher grounds, saying the government was working towards ameliorating the situation.
He said they had contacted the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to get relief materials and are working towards alleviating the plight of those affected.
Ayim, said that flood has destroyed over 70 houses and rendered over 510 persons homeless in 11 local government areas of the state from May till date.
Ayim, who said that no life was lost, also appealed to the Federal Government through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to respond urgently to alleviate the sufferings of the victims.
“The Disaster Risk Management seasonal rainfall predictions done by Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the National Hydrological Services Agency on the annual flood outlook 2019 predicts some state to be probable flood zones, with Cross River as one of them.
“Areas expected to have high rainfall will have effect on some zones like Cross River and we are praying for prevention rather than response.
“The state governor is doing a lot in responding to the plight of these victims across the state, but the load on us is much.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government to come to our aid,’’ he said.
Tears, sorrow as floods ravage Niger communities
An early morning rainfall that began as drops of blessing in parts of Bosso and Chachanga local government areas of Niger State last Saturday turned into a nightmare as it resulted in serious flooding that left many residents homeless while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. Three people were pronounced dead while more than 100 houses were submerged and many farmlands were destroyed.
The flood affected residents of Dusten Kura Hausa, Wushishi Housing Estate, Fadikpe, Bosso Estate Okada Road area and Kpagungun in Chachanga Local Government Area as well as Shanu and Tundun Fulani communities in Bosso Local Government Area.
For Engineer Mohammed Bello who stays off Okada Road in Chachanga Local Government Area, his desire to diversify from his ICT business has since turned into a nightmare as he lost equipment worth millions of naira to the flood. He also lost all his poultry birds and fishes he has been rearing for long.
“We used to receive seven crates of eggs from the birds per day because they were on economic level but the flood buried them all. I lost up to 350 birds and my fishes are all gone. We don’t even know how to locate them because once the volume is high, the fishes ware washed away,” he said in a tone of lamentation.
“Some of my goats, about seven went missing. The only thing they succeeded to save, that the people managed to get complete, were the cows. The cows were rescued but the others were not.
“One of my workers risked his life in order to save the poultry. After the rains had subsided, all my workers were in tears because they tried their best to save the animals but could not. After everything, estimating what I lost, it would be about N3 million.”
He attributed the rise in water level to lack of drainage, which makes the water to flow unaided, causing havoc in its wake. He further stated that another cause of the flood in his vicinity was his fish pond which he has decided to terminate.
He said: “This is the first time we are seeing this level of water. What further caused the weakness more was the pond, so I have decided to terminate the pond.
“What the government needs to do is the drainage. Even if it needs to be done in various phrases, it should be done. The amount of water that passes through here is enormous.
“Since I came here, they have done surveys more than 50 times. If you look at it, it is enormous work to be done. If they can take it in phases, they should do so. They will need to segment the job. It has been a very serious problem to us.
“Even the bridge cannot take the water. The level of the water is beyond the waterways. Every government that comes sees it and promises, but nothing has been done.”
Peter Umaru woke up only to see goats and other animals floating outside the house where he lives with his mother and siblings. He said that most of his properties were washed away in the flood and family members were busy saving themselves, hence they could not save any of the properties.
“On that fateful day, we woke up at 5am and noticed that the rain had filled everywhere. When I opened the door, I saw goats floating in the waters. Dead goats and live ones were being washed away by the flood. We were busy saving ourselves, so we could not save them.”
For Hassanna, her drums for water, her fridge and her two rams are her utmost concern. Losing them has not made life easy as she currently has no container to store water for her family.
Recalling the incident, she said: “The rain started at 5 am when we wanted to do our prayers. We came out and saw water inside our compound, everywhere. We saw that erosion had taken over everywhere. All our things were swept away.
“I lost my fridge, drum and two of my rams. We have not received any help yet. We were told to write letters to Government House. We have done so and we are waiting for their assistance. All the drums I use to save water have gone with my fridge, children’s slippers, mattresses and other valuables. The back of our house collapsed.”
Annual disaster
Ward Head (Mai Angwan) of Dusten Kura Hausa, Inuwa Bawa Tokura, described the flood as a yearly disaster, wondering why government has adopted a nonchalant attitude to addressing the problem.
In Shanu village, Hadiza Rabiu lost all her belongings which include the foodstuff she had bought and was meant to take her and her family till the end of the month. The mother of three lamented over her loss as her home was completely destroyed by the flood.
Narrating her ordeal, she said: “We were fast asleep when I started feeling and hearing sounds of water rushing into the house. I first tried to dismiss it but later, with a worrisome spirit, I stood up and looked through the window, only to see people trying to save their belongings.
“I quickly started calling for help because the water level was rising. I had to call on people to help my children.”
Continuing with tears in her eyes, she said: “The flood took everything. My house has collapsed and everything we had, including some money amounting to N40,000 and foodstuffs, were all washed away.”
The Head of Shanu village, Ibrahim Musa, lamented that the rains had turned them into sorrowful people. He said that in taking stock of the losses, it was discovered that houses, farm produce and properties worth millions of naira were lost in the flood.
“When the rain started in the early hours of Saturday, I was happy and thanking God that it was going to be a rain of blessing because of our farms. Unknown to me, it was going to wreak havoc. We have lost our farmland and houses. This is tragic,” he said.
Neighbours offer helping hands
Neighbours whose houses were not affected have risen to help by providing temporary accommodation for those affected. Anesiat Bello is one of those who have risen to help their neighbours as she is currently housing some of them in her house.
She said: “The rain did not affect me but it affected my neighbours. We woke up around 5.30 in the morning to see the damage the flood had caused. All my neighbours were affected.
“Some my neighbours are staying with me because up till now, their houses have not been repaired. Everything in the house is spoilt. Government needs to assist them. Most people have lost a lot.”
The flooding also affected two major bridges in Bosso and Chanchaga. The MYPA bridge in Bosso collapsed while the Mola Bridge in Dutsen Kura Hausa was washed away by the floods. However, government has embarked on repairing the bridges, a move which has been applauded by the people as they described it as swift action.
The residents are also asking government to treat their cases as swiftly as the case of the bridges were treated.
“The government has done the bridge, but it is preventive because if they leave it, the bridge will go and they will now start talking about corrective measure. The response was immediate and good, but the response to the people is poor. The response to the affected communities is very poor,” Engr Mohammed Bello said.
When contacted, the Niger State Emergency Management Board (NSEMA) said they were still assessing the damage as new areas were said to have been affected and all the members of staff were on ground carrying out assessment.
The Public Relations Officer of the Agency, Mallam Ibrahim Audu said that with each downpour, new areas are affected by flood, saying the agency had been very busy trying to keep up with the assessment. He said after the assessment, the report would be submitted to the government for compensation of the victims.
He however said that most of their recommendations would border on upgrading infrastructure and building of waterways, saying: “If we give people money this year, next year, it will still occur. So what we are emphasising is the building of waterways.”
Audu said the flood being experienced was called flash flood, adding that more flood was still expected in the coastal and riveting areas.
He said: “The flooding we are experiencing now is flash flood. This happens in the state for two to three hours, leave destruction in its wake and then disappears. This is not all. The coastal or the riverine areas will begin to experience flooding by next month.”
The NSEMA spokesman attributed the flood to climate change and population explosion coupled with the increasing number of people building their houses on waterways.
‘Flood not from dam water’
Meanwhile, the Niger State Water Board has debunked the rumors making the rounds that the flood experienced last Saturday morning was as a result of water released from the Bosso and Tagwai dams.
Some of the affected residents of Bosso Estate, Dutsen Kura Hausa and Gwari, Rafin Yashi, Kpakungu and Fadekpe had attributed the flood to the release of water from the Bosso and Tagwai dams by the Niger State Water Board.
The General Manger of the Board, Engineer Hassan Muhammad Chado, debunked the allegation during a visit to the dams to ascertain the authenticity of the speculations, saying that contrary to the rumour, the state Water Board does not release water from the two said dams.
He said that water only spilled on Saturday night to divert excess water down stream and not to communities.
He said the Bosso Dam was stable, explaining that the board did not open any valve, hence it was at its normal working capacity.
He also added that the situation was the same at the Tagwai Dam which was observed to be on its normal and functional capacity with its spill way serving effectively as a safety structure.
“The Bosso dam is actually an ageing facility built about 70 years ago, but is still fit and serviceable. Nevertheless if need be for the dam to be decommissioned, Niger State government would commission experts to carry out such function appropriately,” he said.
The General Manager further urged residents to desist from building along flood plains to avoid disaster.
The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello and his deputy, Muhammad Ahmed Ketso, have visited and consoled the victims of the flood, saying government would try its best to bring relief to them.