Flood Kills 3, Destroys 1,400 Houses In Bauchi

Flooding in Sakuwa, a community in Katagum local government area of Bauchi State has reportedly killed at least three persons and destroyed over 1,400 residential houses.

LEADERSHIP learned that unquantifiable number of farmlands have been submerged thereby posing threat to food security to not just the inhabitants of the Katagum zone but also Bauchi and other neighbouring states.

Public structures like schools were also submerged with surface runoff water filling classes and children’s playing fields.  Besides, roads and culverts as well as bridges were cut off thereby forcing areas affected to resort to using canoes to cross from one end to the other.

LEADERSHIP gathered that six portions of the road linking Zaki and Gamawa local government areas of the state to Jigawa, Kano and Yobe states were also affected by the flood.

Speaking in Sakuwa on Saturday, Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir lamented the hardship that the incident inflicted on the people of the area, blaming water flowing from neighbouring states for the disaster.

The governor also blamed global warming. “Fifty years ago, we didn’t have this kind of calamity in our society but it is gradually visiting us,” he said.

He rallied for a collective effort in addressing the devastating effects of the incessant flooding affecting communities across the state.

Governor Bala said communities of the state are exposed to the danger of flooding and noted that year in and year out, losses of lives and properties are being recorded.

He called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency assist the state in providing permanent solution to the problem, and also provide palliative measures to the victims.

The governor presented relief materials of two trucks of maize and medical consumables and directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to take inventory of the damages to enable the government to take further actions.

The director-general of the State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), Dr Ibrahim Kabir warned the communities to relocate to safer areas to guarantee their safety.

The incident came after the report of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency predicted continuous heavy downpours in most parts of the country.