Rivers Sokoto, Rima floods: Beyond First Lady’s assistance
IT’S NO LONGER BREAK ING news the devastating impact of this year’s floods associated with the rainy season in the northernmost part of Nigeria, particularly Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger States.
What makes this year’s flooding relatively different from the previous years are the huge damages to lives, property (settlements, possessions, roads, bridges, culverts etc) and large tracks of farmlands with crops submerged and fishing grounds and livestock washed away along the banks and valleys of the tributaries of the River Niger towards its downstream pathways.
The states most affected by this year’s torrential rains that generated the devastating flooding being experienced along the pathways of these tributaries are Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states; with Kebbi State taking the severest impact - being at the extreme downstream to the entry points of the tributaries to the main River Niger in Niger State.
So far, no accurate statistics (official and unofficial) have been collated in terms of the number of people and animals (livestock) lost, property destroyed and or damaged, and other possessions lost, due to the flooding.
While the statistics are being compiled by the relevant authorities, it has been estimated that planted crops such as rice, millet and sorghum and other vegetables and livestock worth billions have been permanently lost by the farmers, fishermen and pastoralists already.
Furthermore, most of the farmers borrowed money from the federal government agricultural intervention funds for this year’s farming season; especially rice growers.
The severity of this year’s flooding can be attributed to a number of factors; some of which are: 1) general climate change impact, 2) general seasonal global and or regional weather and climate variability; 3) government policy failures in flood control management and mitigation strategies and 4) farmers resistance and or refusal to comply with government flood control mitigation measures and strategies where put in place.
All these mentioned factors (and many others) contributed to what happened and is happening at the moment in the flood affected or impacted areas in these states of the federation.
While assessment efforts are presently going on, the victims of the flooding are bearing in full, both the physical and psychological brunt of the devastations brought upon them by the flood.
The affected families have taken shelters in both open spaces upland and any available public facility, such as primary school buildings, and are using such facilities as improvised displaced or refugees’ settlements; or internally displaced persons (IDPs) centre, for now.
Their basic survival needs are yet to be provided for by the appropriate authorities at all levels; only promises. To make matters worse, these states are not generally known to be accessible to the wider national philantrophic communities; especially the corporate ones in the country.
For instance, so far, the only assistance received in Kebbi State are from the First Lady Hajia Aisha Buhari, Noor Jangoil Foundation (Ka’oje) and Alhaji Abdulsamad Isyaku Rabiu (Chairman, BUA Group). The other affected states are yet to receive any donations (probably by the time you read this they may have received their own donations)!
However, a federal government delegation mandated by the president and headed by minister of agriculture, Sabo Na Nono (and not that of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster management, Hajia
Sadiya Omar Farooq) paid a day trip to Birnin Kebbi and was taking round to some of the impacted areas close to the state capital.
He has long returned to Abuja to brief President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) and the Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, had also visited Aso Villa to further brief Mr. President.
Other state governors whose states are affected by the havoc have similarly, made appeals to the federal government for urgent assistance to remedy the sufferings of the impacted communities.
It is now left to be seen, how soon is soon, or how urgent is urgent, before the responses to these appeals are going to be met by respective authorities at all levels of governance.
The international community and their respective donor agencies are yet to respond to the plights of the affected communities either.
The search for permanent or semi-permanent solutions to this annual flooding disaster must be mainstreamed in our national policy on inland watershed management and natural disaster management strategies, respectively.
Hence, the various relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) must wake up from their slumber and do the needful to put desirable mitigation measures and strategies against the recurrence of this year’s flooding havoc.
For instance, the federal ministry of water resources and it’s agencies (including, the National Inland Waterways Authority - NIWA) responsible for the management and control of the nation’s vast inland rivers and watersheds and water courses must lead the way in ensuring that appropriate engineering and non-engineering solutions are brought to bear on this annual flooding disaster occurrences.
There are many global best solutions that fit the Nigerian situation that can easily be deployed without recourse to reinventing the wheel of flood control technologies and management in Nigeria (e.g. Polders, Dykes etc.).
The photos, reproduced here are from the flooded banks and valleys of Rivers Sokoto and Rima confluence along Sokoto-Illela highway and Sokoto-Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The flood merged the two respective river channels together, pushing the water towards Kebbi State, downstream.