Residents of flood-ravaged Mangari Bye-pass in Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State are thrown into worry whenever the cloud shows signs of a downpour.
Some portions of the bye-pass were washed away by floods last year, making it hard for water to flow through the collapsed waterways. Whenever it rains heavily, households get flooded and residents get stranded.
The residents say they continue to live in fear as the government failed to repair the road.
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Bello Ibrahim, a household leader told WikkiTimes he and his family couldn’t sleep at night, especially when it rains. According to him, floods from the damaged portions of the road flow into his house as waterways have been blocked. The flood, sometimes, levelled up to his knee, he said.
The family head said it has been a year since the road got damaged but nothing was done to put it back in shape.
“Whenever it rains, we live in fear with our families, we used to hang around the veranda because our rooms are filled up with water, waiting for what will happen. The water that used to pass through the damaged road has no access way hence it floods into our houses.
“Many of us are planning to sell off our houses to vacate the places because at night you have to be awake with your family. Even in the daytime, we have no peace of mind whenever it rains,” Ibrahim told WikkiTimes.
He added that they are tired of empty promises by the government as it continues to send supervisors to check the place.
“Last year they came and observe the place but they didn’t do anything and the situation escalated this year as you can see the water overflow to residential houses from here because it has no passageway. As you can see this is a road but it was damaged by the flood,” he told our reporter.
“Many houses are affected even myself, I don’t have a toilet in my house since this rain started. Every time I repaired it the water will come and wash it. There are many of us that are victims of this. It doesn’t even necessarily have to rain in Misau before the water overflow, it may even come from nearby places”, added Bello.
Malam Usman Umar another household leader said they have find it hard to sleep at night whenever it rains. He said the residents fear something may happen to them.
‘We used to stay awake with our children in the night when it rains,” he grumbled. “When water overflows into our houses we have to wait until it drained before we can sleep in our rooms.”
“We have many houses that were affected, sometimes the water that accumulated in the house may even reach above your knees. We lost sleep whenever we see clouds in the night, you have to be awake until after the rain stopped and you are sure of the condition of your room,” Usman added.
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When WikkiTimes contacted Salisu Hussani Dondo, Caretaker Chairman of Misau local council, he said the council is aware of the situation but the matter is beyond what it could handle. According to him, the council had written to the state government and it is waiting for its intervention.
“I am aware of the situation, we have written to the state government as you know it is not a local government issue, but we have copies of the acknowledgement of what we have sent. We have a strong belief that something will be done about it God willing,” he said.
