Agency visits flood-prone areas, warns residents of dangers ahead

The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA),visited flood-prone areas in the state, warning the residents of imminent danger.

Mr Muhammed Mukaddas, Executive Secretary of KADSEMA, said the visit was to sensitise residents and draw their attention to the prediction of NIMET.

NIMET had predicted that the years’ rainy season would be heavier than previous years and might result in serious flood.

Mukaddas said most flood-vulnerable areas in the state were unsafe to live in, and that the state’s Standing Committee on Flood Assessment was working to ensure it recovered the areas to save lives and property.

He mentioned that the agency has commenced the daily monitoring and response activities in Sanga, Kaura Jamaa, Jaba and Kagarko Local Government Areas (LGAs).

“The state government has commenced dredging of rivers ahead of the rainy season to reduce the possibilities of flooding.We also sensitised the residents on the need to take up the responsibility of desilting and also avoid dumping waste into water ways.
The Executive Secretary said the agency would ensure that persons living along flood-prone areas relocate to higher grounds.We advised them to be on the alert and vacate the areas when the rain becomes overwhelming,” Mukaddas said.

He said that they had noted people living in water ways, documented them, and also commenced demolition of some of the houses, in collaboration with the relevant agencies in the state.

Also speaking, Mr. Zakariya Solomon, a personnel of the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KASUPDA), said they were working tirelessly with stakeholders to reduce the effect of flood in communities.

He explained that efforts were being made to relocate people in some of the areas that experience flooding regularly to alternative sites.

“We will access them individually and see if they have the relevant documents that the Government will use in compensating them,” he said.

NAN / Foluke Ibitomi