Rabah Local Government in Sokoto State, on Wednesday said it procured 33 canoes and 20, 000 sandbags in anticipation of massive flood from water released from Lagdo dam in Cameroon.
Alhaji Zayyanu Gandi, the Caretaker Chairman of the local government told newsmen in Rabah that N5.3 million was spent on the procurement of the items.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the water from Lagdo dam is anticipated to result in the release of more water from Bakolori and Goronyo dams thereby flooding communities on the water ways.
NAN reports that the chairman spoke shortly after a meeting of the enlarged Security Committee of the council which met over the flood threat.
He explained that the meeting analysed the report of a committee of experts set up by the local council on the flood threat.
Gandi described the committee’s reports as “very scary and disturbing”, adding that several towns and villages in the eleven wards of the area may be affected by the flood.
“The report showed that no fewer than 2, 000 farmlands, 30 kilometres of road may be washed away, while there is a great tendency of losing thousands of houses to the anticipated flooding.
“None of the eleven wards will be spared according to the report; the flood is just around the corner and the time to act is now.
“Some roads have already came under the threat of flood, especially the Rabah-Gandi and Gandi-Dutsanya road,” he said.
He said that the canoes would be distributed to communities most likely to be hit-hard by the flood in the eleven wards of the area, for easy evacuation of people, livestock and farm produce.
The chairman added that the sandbags would serve as “buffer and embankments” between houses and the flood water.
Gandi said people of the local government had been massively sensitized on the imperative for them to move out of houses close to waterways and those on flood plains.
According to him, even without the anticipated massive flooding, some communities have been cut off by flood in the area.
“Already, the five kilometre portion of Rabah-Gandi road has been washed away since Friday, August 14 by flood waters.
“Several communities had been cut off from the local government headquarters and they now have to go through the neighbouring Bakura town in Zamfara State, to reach Sokoto, the state capital.
“The affected communities include Maikujera, Gwadoddi, Gidan-Buwa, Kundus, Dudu-Barade, Tsamiya, Gandi, Rarah and Kurya among others.
“The only alternative route, the Maikujera-Durbawa road, is also not safe as majority of the portion of the road is also in a deplorable state,” Gandi added.
He appealed to the Sokoto State Government to expedite action on the planned rehabilitation of the flood-ravaged Rabah-Gandi road.
The chairman urged the Federal Government to construct a bridge along the damaged road and devise a more permanent solution to the perennial flooding in the area.(NAN)
