The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA), on Wednesday, visited flood-prone areas in the State, warning the residents of imminent danger.
While in the areas, Executive Secretary of KADSEMA, Mr Muhammed Mukaddas, 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 ones 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.
“We have also commenced desilting and flushing of drains and riverine areas ahead of the rainy season to reduce the vulnerability and 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.
”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.
Reports have it that the flood-prone areas visited included Ungwan Romi, Tudun Wada and Rafin Guza, in Chikun, Kaduna South and Kaduna North Local Council Areas of the state, among other places.
Discussion about this post