Politics

Flood alert: Bauchi govt commences evacuation of silted dams

Bauchi State Government has kept its promise to the residents of Cheledi in Kirfi LGA of the state as it commenced intervention process of rechelling water flow to check flooding.

The disclosure was made by the Director General of the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), Dr Ibrahim Kabir while answering questions from members of the Press shortly after inspecting the project.

Dr Ibrahim Kabir said that Governor Bala Mohammed constituted a Committee under the leadership of the Commissioner, Ministry of Housing and Environment, Rt Hon Danlami Ahhed Kawule and other members including the Commissioner of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajiya Hajara Yakubu Wanka, the DG BASEPA and DG, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

He said that the Committee has visited the affected areas and ascertained the level of damages caused as a result of water flooding that occurred in Cheledi where farmlands and houses were affected as a result of torrential downpours last month.

The DG further added that, upon reporting to the Governor the level of damages, he directed the committee to swing into action.

It could be recalled that, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency NIMET recently forecast that some states in the country would experience water flooding where fifty-three communities in the state were identified as the prone zones for the incidence, which Cheledi formed part of the affected areas and states where directed to carry out some proactive measures to avert or reduce the effects of the disaster.

Based on the NIMET’s report, Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Bauchi ACReSAL in collaboration with Mennonites Economic Development Associates (MEDA) organised a stakeholder engagement on flood disaster, preparedness, and response in Bauchi State and discussed causes of flooding in the affected areas and mitigative measures that will proffer lasting solutions to the disaster.

In this regard, Dr Kabir said that during the stakeholders’ engagement, prone community members were strongly sensitised on precautionary measures to be taken when issues of flooding occur and advised to stop erecting buildings on waterways as this is one of the major causes of flooding.

He added that government on its part will intervene in the desilting of silted Dams, water diversion, provision of sandbags among other measures.

He also used the medium and sympathised with the affected communities, as the State Project Coordinator ACReSAL.

Ibrahim Kabir assured the affected communities government’s intervention through ACReSAL with the view to provide lasting solutions on issues of flooding not only in Cheledi but the entire state as contained in a statement by Isyaka Laminu Badamasi, SA Media to DG BASEPA.

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