From Mohammed Muktar Umar Bauchi

Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has revealed that property, including houses in 57 villages across 11 local government areas of the state, farmlands and livestock, worth N180million have been destroyed by floods in which eight lives were loss so far in the state.

This was disclosed by the SEMA Coordinator, Dr Abubakar Umar Gabarin, who revealed that 567 people were affected by flooding, adding that three people died in Ningi, three died in Gamawa and one person each in Jama’are and Toro Local Government Areas respectively.

According to the SEMA coordinator, the figures were only tentative as the Agency was still counting, adding that it would submit an interim report to the state governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, to enable the state government to assist the victims.

Also speaking, Director, Research and Statistics of the agency, Adamu Nayola, warned people living in flood plains and waterways across the state to relocate as the peak of rains is yet to come in order to avoid disastrous effects of floods.

He also warned people to avoid swimming in rivers whenever they see heavy downpour, saying that, “they don’t know what the rivers bring along. Sometimes, it comes with sharp objects that will injure and kill people.”

Nayola lamented that majority of flood victims are regular victims who are being affected by flood annually as a result of their refusal to vacate flood plains and riverine areas where many of them live in weak buildings.

He blamed flooding on natural disasters and poor drainage systems caused by uncontrolled physical development in parts of the state.

“You can see the results. Besides the high number of casualties recorded, many houses were washed away, while others collapsed. Several farmlands were submerged just as foodstuffs and livestock were also lost to floods,” he lamented.

In another development, Governor Mohammed has directed the state Ministries of Land and Housing to demolish buildings on waterways at the Unguwar Yankari behind the Department of State Services (DSS) in Bauchi.

The governor gave the directive when he visited the area to assess the havoc wrecked by flooding in the area, adding that the people who buildings are to be demolished should be compensated properly.

According to him, the demolition was inevitable as it was the only way to solve the perennial flooding in the area.