Jigawa checks flooding

THE Jigawa State government has resolved to take proactive measures to check the effect of flooding, which ravaged about 12 local councils in 2010 through public enlightenment and collaboration with Hadejia/Jamare River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA).

Flood in the state destroyed property and farmlands worth N4.5 billions while people were displaced.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Isah Muhammed Nassarawa, who spoke with The Guardian in Dutse at the weekend, said the government had already reached out to the management of HJRBDA.

The management of HJRBDA are the custodians of the two dams that supply water to the down stream covering Jigawa and four other states, for them to always notify the states under their purview each time they plan to release the water from the dams.

“In most cases, when the dams are filled to capacity, they release the water downstream which affects farmlands, especially in Jigawa. That has been the main cause of the flooding in recent times.

“Our talk with them is for them to contact the states when they intend to release the water so that the state government concerned can alert their farmers to take precaution”, he said.

He pointed out that the government had also evacuated 70 per cent of the drainage routes that were blocked allowing for smooth flow of water.

Nassarawa said they have also carried out de-silting of the river to make it flow freely so that it will not change its tributary.

The permanent secretary indicated that they had also warned farmers not to extend their farms too close to the riverbank despite scarcity of land.

He said the government had embarked on the construction of more drainage in most of the local councils that were affected, adding that the local councils were also complementing the efforts of the state government in that regards.

Nassarawa disclosed that most of the victims of last year’s flood had been relocated to upland area where plots had been allocated to them, especially those of Yakassawa in Ringim, adding that they were already settling down.

He appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the aid of the state at this early stage so as to take proactive measures that would prevent reoccurrence of flood disaster in the state.

The permanent secretary expressed optimism that with the proactive measures taken by the state government, flooding in the state would be a thing of the past.