Following the execution of the dredging project in Kano state, Hafiz Bayero, Administrator of Kaduna Capital Territory Authority (KCTA), in his remarks to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), made it known that the dredging was crucial due to the river’s incapacity to hold the volume water flow triggered by flooding in the past years. He asserts that based on the fact that Kaduna city and its surroundings witnessed minimal occurrences of flooding in 2022, we can infer that the project is delivering the expected outcomes.
Bayero said that preventing floods in the state would need a continual practice of dredging waterways surrounding flood-prone areas. Cities like Hayin Danmani, Kamazou, Kabala West, Rafin guza, and others in the flood basins of Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Chikun, and Igabi have been singled out as particularly vulnerable to flooding. The state’s dredging effort not only removes sediment from the river but also increases the depth and breadth of the rivers so that they can hold large amounts of precipitation without flooding.
An automated flood early warning system station had been set up.
Commenting on the situation, Dr. Haira’u Umar, Director of KCTA’s Municipal Waste Management, asserts that the agency was taking an active role in protecting the environment with sensitization programs which had helped communities become more clean and aware, limiting the effect on the state just to flash floods throughout the year. Mr. Yusuf Muazu, Director of the Kaduna State Ministry for Environment, stated that as part of the state effort, an automated flood early warning system and weather station had been set up by the ministry in partnership with the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) to assist in flood prevention.
The stations were set up in Kaduna North, Kaduna South, and Chikun LGAs to help people prepare for catastrophes, Muazu added. While this was going on, the Kano state government assured residents that they had taken the required emergency measures to prepare for the approaching rainy season. In an interview with NAN in Kano, Dr. Saleh Jili, Executive Secretary of the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said that the agency would meet with stakeholders to devise solutions. He claims that the agency would launch awareness programs in all 44 of the state’s LGAs to promote the cleaning of waterways in an effort to reduce floods.
Residents should avoid low-quality materials in building housing.
Dr. Jili added assurance that the organization has set up finances and other relief resources to meet the needs of victims in the event of a tragedy. Reportedly, more than 20 people were wounded, 14,364 farms were wiped out, and N2.1 billion worth of property was lost. Dr. Nuradeen Abdullahi, territorial coordinator of NEMA in Kano, echoed his request for stringent implementation of environmental standards as a means of reducing the impact of floods.
In light of the frequent structural damage caused by windstorms and floods, Abdullahi urged residents to avoid the use of cheap, low-quality materials in their building housing. In addition, Dr. Kabiru Getso, the Commissioner for the environment in the state of Kano, said that measures had been taken to lessen the impact of potential disasters and risks proactively. He encouraged locals to follow construction norms and environmental laws, remove clogged waterways, and refrain from dropping waste down drains.
Gov’t urges people to refrain from dropping refuse in drainage.
Meanwhile, the Katsina State Government, the World Bank, and the French Development Agency have built a new road that stretches for a total of 2.5 kilometers from Danja to Bazanga to Nahuce in the Danja Local Government Area. The project aims to improve traffic flow and alleviate specific environmental issues. Above all, several state government organizations have emphasized the need for citizen action, urging people to refrain from dropping refuse in drainage canals, which might result in blockage and leads to floods and erosion.
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