Three persons have been confirmed killed following a heavy downpour that resulted in flooding in three local government areas of Bauchi state last week.
The Permanent secretary, Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Shehu Ningi disclosed this in an exclusive interview with WikkiTimes on Friday.
He said that the flood disaster also demolished about 500 houses in the affected areas of Gololo town in Gamawa LGA, Bulkachuwa in Katagum, Jallam in Dambam local government and two villages of Jama’are, Yola Doka in Bauchi local government.
According to Ningi, one death was recorded in Warji, two in Jallam village of Dambam local government area of the state while two others who sustained injuries when a building collapsed on them were hospitalised.
The Permanent Secretary added that apart from the houses, 20 to 30 farm lands were washed away by the flood in Jalam village of Dambam local government area of the state.
Ningi said that the incident occurred last week and that the Bauchi state government has put in emergency intervention to cushion the effect of the flood on the victims.
“We have sent our proposal to His excellency, the Executive governor, Senator Bala Mohammed of the state for immediate relief assistance to the victims through the office of the SSG”, he authoritatively said.
“Fortunately, all the victims in Jallam, Gololo, Bulkachuwa, two villages in Jama’are and two villages in Bauchi local government areas were given immediate relief assistance”, he said.
He said that the immediate relief materials include only food and non food items such as rice, corn, cement, zincs and beddings.
For further intervention, Ningi said, “presently, I have sent a memo to the governor, that was yesterday for his consideration in the case of Warji and additional flooding in Jallam in Dambam local government area”.
He said that few people in Jallam were sheltered in a primary school in the area while others were sheltered in the houses of their relatives.
Ningi who revealed that flooding in some of the affected areas has been a yearly phenomenon, said that the state government is making frantic efforts to contain the problem.
“I am aware that the state government has last year written to the humanitarian affairs, NEMA and the Ecological fund for them to come to the aid of those local governments by constructing earth dams so that the volume of water can go to the dam as an interim measure”, he said.
