Flood Victims Battle Hunger, Malaria As Relief Delays Hit Nasarawa Communities

Weeks after floodwaters receded in Nasarawa State, residents displaced by the disaster are battling hunger, malaria and typhoid, with many forced to drink polluted river water and sleep in makeshift shelters as promised government relief remains outstanding.

The flood ravaged 11 communities in Doma Local Government Area, destroying houses, washing away farmlands and contaminating sources of potable water, forcing residents to flee their homes.

Although many have returned, the affected residents say they are struggling to rebuild their lives amid food shortages, poor sanitation and increasing health concerns.

In Ijiwo community, the youth leader, Sunday, said all displaced residents had returned but were living under difficult conditions.

“Everybody have returned back to the community,” he said.

He explained that residents whose houses were destroyed had resorted to erecting temporary shelters with tarpaulin and other available materials, while others were patching up damaged buildings and occupying them despite their condition.

“Some of them just make provision for a temporary shelter using tarpaulin and other things. And the little part of their building that break, they just use something to wedge it and they are staying inside like that,” he said.

Sunday said hunger had become a major challenge as the flood swept away farm produce, leaving many households without food or income.

“Some of us are still lacking what to eat because the flood have gone away with our farm’s product in the farms and all these things. So, there is serious hunger disturbing the community there,” he said.

In Obemdo community, a former Supervisory Councillor, Tanimu Oduwa Daniel, also described the situation as difficult, saying many residents had lost essential belongings and were struggling to afford food and other necessities.

“Most people are facing difficulties, you know. They need some… lack of food, or even some money to buy some items because they lost many things in the [flood]… so many people are facing hardship now,” he said.

Daniel said some residents whose houses were destroyed were still taking refuge with neighbours while gradually rebuilding their homes.

“Some people are staying with their neighbors, and their houses are being rebuilt… people whose houses were affected have to manage with other neighbors,” he said.

Access to safe drinking water has also remained a major concern in Ijiwo, where residents have reportedly resorted to drinking from the river following the contamination of other water sources.

Sunday said the community had no borehole or alternative source of potable water.

“We are still drinking water from the river there because we have no option, no borehole, nothing, nothing. Around the river there, there is no any place that has a borehole. So, the only water unless the government can provide for us any substance that will purify water for us,” he said.

He disclosed that residents were experiencing malaria and typhoid, which he linked to their exposure to the floodwaters and the difficult living conditions during the disaster.

“The only thing our people are facing now is malaria. Typhoid and malaria. You know most of them, during that flood, they are outside. So, they are not comfortable, so they have been subjected to this typhoid and malaria,” he said.

He, however, said there had been no reported case of cholera in Ijiwo.

“No, we have not heard of cholera for now,” he added.

But the member representing Doma South constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Musa Ibrahim Abubakar, raised concerns over the health risks facing affected communities, saying malaria was already prevalent, with reports of suspected cholera cases in some areas.

He said the floodwaters had carried particles and created conditions favourable for mosquito breeding, increasing the risk of malaria and other waterborne diseases.

“The quick one borders on health, because the flood water comes with a lot of particles. It was occasioned by mosquitoes, and of course, malaria will affect the people. And there is this fear generally that there may be an outbreak, perhaps cholera,” Abubakar said.

He said the state government was making preparations to address the health challenges.

“Government is preparing so that the issue of malaria, issue of cholera will be tackled frontally. And that is what we are expecting in a few moments,” he said.

Abubakar, a former Commissioner for Environment, said he was the first to visit the affected communities after the flood and donated N5 million as immediate personal assistance to help victims purchase food and potable water.

“The cash donation will not take them anywhere anyway. It was just for immediate quick foods and potable drinking water,” he said.

He explained that the disaster destroyed houses, washed away farmlands and contaminated drinking water sources, forcing residents to seek temporary refuge on higher ground and in neighbouring communities.

“Some of them got temporary shelter on top of hills, while some ran to their relatives in the neighbouring villages,” he said.

According to him, he subsequently reported the incident to the state governor, who directed the Ministries of Environment and Humanitarian Affairs, alongside the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA), to work together to provide assistance to the victims.

He said he had followed up with a reminder and was informed that the governor had approved relief materials for the affected communities.

Abubakar explained that the intervention would be implemented in two phases, beginning with emergency health assistance, followed by a longer-term programme involving the provision of building materials, including cement and roofing sheets, to help residents reconstruct their damaged houses.

However, he attributed the delay in delivering the approved relief materials to government procurement procedures.

“You know the bureaucracy of government. Before the funding comes out, it has to go through the BPP, I believe, for public procurements. Being a governor who also observes due process,” he said.

“Anything with procurement and public funds has to go through due process. So, these are just the reasons.”

He said the floodwaters had subsided, allowing some residents to return to their homes to clear the debris, while others remained in higher locations.

“We look forward to the intervention, perhaps next week,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents have appealed to the state government, the federal government and non-governmental organisations to urgently provide food, safe drinking water, healthcare assistance and building materials.

In Ijiwo, Sunday specifically appealed for cement, roofing sheets and mosquito nets to support residents rebuilding their destroyed homes and protect them from mosquito-borne diseases.

“We are making an appeal to state government, other NGOs, to just help us with some building materials, especially cement, zincs, and other necessary building material, so that at least we can develop our demolish buildings again,” he said.

Similarly, Daniel urged the Nasarawa State and federal governments to intervene, stressing that many affected households could no longer cope without external assistance.

“Actually, I am appealing to the state government and the federal government to quickly intervene… because people are really in need of support,” he said.