The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Zonal Coordinator in charge of North-West, Musa Abdullahi Ilallah, has disclosed that about eight local government areas in Kaduna State will be affected by flood.
Already, the agency had alerted the State government asking the affected communities to evacuate from the river banks to avoid any casualties.
Speaking with newsmen in Kaduna, the zonal coordinator urged the State government, to as a matter of urgency, embark on a massive sensitization programme on the affected communities to see the need of moving away from the areas.
“On our part, NEMA, the Executive Secretary and the Zonal Coordinator of Hydrological Services Agency have already carried out a Hausa programme in Kaduna State Media Corporation KSMC, in cognizance of targeting these communities that are likely to be affected,” he said.
According to him, “The alert shows that if the rain continues as experienced in the last one week for the next four days, it is a signal that part of river Niger will be flooded and by implications, it means that a number of places will be affected with flood and going by the warning, its means that the experience of flood in 2012 will be a Child’s play this year; several states will be affected.”
“My concern is the North West, particularly Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano and Katsina states following the warnings by the Director General of the agency, though we are able to reach out to States Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to enable them alert the communities living along the river banks. This river has links with the river Niger,” he explained.
He also disclosed that the river basin cut across Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina states, while river Hadejia cut across Jigawa, Kano and part of Bauchi.
“It was just two days ago that Nigeria government received an alert from the Niger issuing a warning that all people living along the river bands should evacuate,” he said.
He added that the agency had taken all proactive measures to contain the menace.
Apart from re-echoing the warning alerts and sensitizing the populace on both radio and television especially those along the River Niger and the tributaries, he said NEMA had also reached out to relevant agencies in the states within the zone to be on alert.
Ilellah spoke against indiscriminate dumping of refuse and building along water ways and enjoined relevant authorities in the states to be up and doing to check flooding.
On the recent flooding in some states within his zone, the Coordinator disclosed that NEMA had carried out an assessment tour of the affected areas and was awaiting possible response from its headquarters to bring succor to the victims.
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