No fewer than 5,000 farmers were affected by the devastating flood that submerged several rice farmlands in Shonga, Edu local government area of Kwara State last Sunday.
LEADERSHIP Friday also gathered that over 3,000 hectares of rice plantation were washed away by the flood, which cause was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
It was gathered from the locals that there was no rainfall in and around Shonga when the flood occurred.
A community leader who is also the Nakodi of Shonga, Alh Sulaiman Yahaya confirmed that over 5,000 farmers were affected by the flood.
He added that over 3,000 hectares of rice farmlands were either submerged or washed away by the flood.
Yahya disclosed that most of the affected farmers actually took bank loans to finance their rice farms.
While thanking the Kwara State government for its swift response to the flood incident , Yahya urged relevant stakeholders to come to the rescue of the victims, including those whose residential buildings were affected.
Meanwhile, the Kwara Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (KWACReSAL) has deployed a drone in Shonga with a view to getting a comprehensive report on extent and impact of the flood incident.
The KWACReSAL officials’ assessment visit to Shonga was a follow up to the earlier one made by a delegation of the state government led by the deputy chief of staff to the governor, Princess Bukola Babalola.
The state project coordinator of KWACReSAL, Alh Shamsideen Aregbe, expressed sadness over the flooding of rice farmlands.
He said that his agency would deploy advanced technology, including a drone, to assess the flooded areas and the extent of damage done to goods and property.
Aregbe assured the people of Shonga that the full report of their findings will be made available to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the World Bank in order to get assistance and viable environmental and ecological solutions to the problem.
The chairman of Edu local government area, Alh Abdullahi Bello blamed the flooding of the rice farmlands in Shonga to the release of water from a dam somewhere.
“ There was a devastating flooding of several rice farmlands in Shonga. It was caused by the release of water from a dam. My team alongside the state government delegation have visited Shonga for the on the spot assessment and to commiserate with the Emir of Shonga and the victims,” Bello told LEADERSHIP Friday.
