HEAVY and torrential rainfall in some parts of Kirikasamma Local Government Area of Jigawa State has killed six children and injured others.
These latest casualties bring to 22 the number of people so far killed in flood disasters in the state in one week.
This is as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said 227, 494 people across Nigeria have been affected by the flooding that has inundated 27 states of the country.
In a telephone conversation with our correspondent in the state, the Information Officer of Malam Madori and Kirikasamma local government areas, Alhaji Musa Muhammad, said a resident of Gamji Village Malam Yahaya Gamji’s four children reportedly died after their house collapsed on them at midnight at Gamji Village in Turabu ward, Kirikasamma Local Government Area.”
He said, “The four children who died belonged to one person named Na Kayuwa Gamji, others were reportedly admitted at hospital for treatment”.
Similarly, two persons were reported dead as a result of incessant rainfall after mud houses collapsed on them at Fandin Village all in Kirikasamma Local Government Area.
Malam Umar Yakubu Mukaddas, a traditional title holder disclosed that the two deceased persons in Fandin were submerged when their rooms collapsed on them.
He further said “Many rice farmlands are submerged due to heavy and incessant rainfall in the area.”
The father of the two deceased persons, Malam Shabuwa Fandin, said the building collapsed on them in the midnight hours of Monday.”
Besides, one woman had a fracture on her leg at Matarar Gamji Village during the same incident.
According to a statement signed by Head, Press Unit of NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel, flooding has impacted 27 states with 227, 494 people affected and 32,837 houses damaged as well as 16,488 hectares of farmland with crops destroyed.
The statement, however, said NEMA has gone ahead to respond to the recent flood incidents that devastated the affected communities, adding that the agency has also commenced the conduct of assessment of the impacts with the various state emergency management agencies (SEMAs) to provide timely and appropriate support to the affected persons.
Ezekiel noted that the agency had also commenced deployment of relief items to complement efforts by the state governments to provide succour to the victims of the flood disaster.
According to him, the Director General, NEMA, Zubaida Umar reaffirmed the commitment of the agency to coordinate and provide necessary support towards efficient disaster management in the country.
Zubaida also advised farmers not to panic over the temporary dry spell being experienced in some states, noting that the situation will soon be over as contained in the seasonal climate predictions released earlier in the year by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Meanwhile, NEMA has warned that over three million residents and no fewer than 362 vulnerable communities across 14 local government areas of Kano State are at high risk of flooding.
This newspaper reports that there has been a heavy and steady downpour in the last one week in Kano, which has limited resident’s routine activities.
Umar stated this during a one-day stakeholder’s workshop on Solid Waste Management and Flood Preparedness: Downscaling 2024 Flood Early Warning Strategies for Grassroots Action themed: “Enhancing Community Resilience through Effective Solid Waste Management and Proactive Flood Preparedness.”
The DG, represented by Dr Nuraddeen Abdullahi, NEMA Territorial Coordinator Kano Office, said the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) AFO has predicted a population of 3,749,200 are at risk of flooding.
The affected local governments include Rimin Gado, Tofa, Kabo, Madobi, Garun Malam, Bebeji, Rano, Dawakin Kudu, Warawa, Wudil, Sumaila, Ajingi, Kura and Dala.
The Commissioner, Ministry of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation, Kano State, Hajiya Amina Abdullahi, reiterated Governor Abba Kabir-Yusuf’s commitment to the protection and safety of all citizens against disasters and emergencies.
The commissioner, represented by the ministry’s Director, Disaster Management and Rapid Response, Alhaji Mustafa Yunusa, commended NEMA and SEMA for organising the workshop.