Writing By Isma’il Adamu; Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
Six weeks after the first cases of devastation from floods in parts of Katsina State, the victims are yet to receive any form of assistance from the state government.
While officials of the State Emergency Management Agency could not be reached for comment on possible measures taken by the agency to resettle or provide relief assistance to the victims, it turned out that the agency did not have an idea of the level of devastation from the flood.
Meanwhile, sources at the agency revealed that the agency had not yet collated the number of lives lost, property destroyed, people displaced and farmlands affected by the disaster.
However, survey by our correspondent across the 34 Local Government Areas indicates that at least 30,000 people have been displaced by the floods in 18 Local Government Areas.
These include Katsina, Kaita, Rimi, Batagarawa, Charanchi, Kurfi, Dustinma, Mashi, Dutsi, Daura, Sandamu, Baure, Matazu, Danja, Kankara, Faskari and Jibia Local Government Areas.
Survey further revealed that more than seven thousand houses, shops and other business premises have been destroyed by the disaster, particularly rural and sub urban mud houses.
Thousands of farmlands across 15 Local Government Areas where also submerged in the floods which washed away crops midway into the wet farming season.
Farms affected cut across dozens of communities in Jibia, Batsari, Danmusa, Kankara, Kaita, Katsina, Rimi, Faskari, Baure, Dustinma, Mashi and Dutsi among others.
Meanwhile, the level of destruction has by far surpassed the NIMET prediction which projected that only three Local Government Areas will be affected by the flood.
While highlighting the 2024 flood outlook for the state at a flood preparedness meeting convinced by the North-west Zonal Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Alhaji Abbani Imam, said flood is expected to hit three local government areas of Jibia, Faskari and Sandamu.
“175 communities across the three Local Government Areas will the vulnerable to flood disaster, with 592,100 people at risk of displacement while 5,535 buildings and 3,350 farmlands will be affected which will severely affect food production in the state”, Imam said.
However, despite this early warning, investigation reveals that little was done by stakeholders in disaster management in the state to sensitize the populations at risk of the disaster on measures to mitigate its effects.
Radio Nigeria observe that most of the displaced flood victims in the affected local government areas were stranded, with most of them taking shelter in the houses of relatives and good Samaritans in neighboring communities.
Meanwhile, for three consecutive days, efforts to reach the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency proved abortive while officials of the agency were also reluctant to speak on the level of devastation or measures to assist the victims.
Isma’il Adamu
