The death toll from the recent flood in Jigawa State has increased to 33, according to the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.
Former Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar, shared the figures on Saturday, expressing his condolences to the state government and to the families who have lost loved ones in the flood.
He reported that the disaster impacted 148 communities across 14 local government areas, affecting approximately 50,000 people and over 11,500 households.
“Over 148 communities were affected,” he said. “7,500 households were affected, over 50, 000 people were affected and about 11,500 farmlands were also affected while we lost 33 indigenes of the state as a result of this affliction,” he said while visiting Governor Umar Namadi in Dutse, the state capital.
Governor Umar Namadi thanked the minister for the visit saying “I am sure so many people in Abuja are also sympathising with you. This situation is for all of us,” the governor said.
“You still decided to be here physically”
The state government is also expecting some relief materials from the Federal Government as it battles the flood occasioned by the rainfall in the coming days.
Worst Deluge
Jigawa, similarly to other states in the agrarian region, records flooding every year but this has been the worst deluge it has experienced, according to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
“Cumulatively, we have recorded 50 deaths from flooding across the 27 local governments in the state,” Yusuf Sani, head of Jigawa’s SEMA said on Monday.
“The last few days have been quite challenging as rain fell for three days non-stop,” Sani added.
He mentioned that emergency workers had been deployed to the affected communities to assess the number of displaced individuals, estimating that they were in the “thousands.”
The Kafin Hausa district has been the hardest hit, with 10 fatalities, 68 hospitalizations, and 1,436 people displaced, most of whom are from Balangu village, where 237 houses were destroyed.
He further stated that 11 temporary shelters have been established for the displaced, including some in schools that are currently closed for the holidays.
Aminu Ibrahim, who lost his home to floods in the Kirikasamma district, is now living with relatives in a primary school, along with 12 other displaced families.
Emergency officials in the state are concerned that the situation could worsen as more torrential rains are expected in the coming days.
Additionally, there are concerns about the imminent release of water from the Komadugu River, a measure authorities are considering to prevent the riverbanks from bursting.
“We have asked all residents of villages along the river banks to evacuate as soon as possible because the water would be released any moment from now,” said Sani.
In addition, the overflowing of the Tiga and Challawa rivers in Kano state into Jigawa state every year “substantially aggravates flooding” in the state, said local official Hamza Muhammad.
The unusually heavy rains, “which can be attributed to climate change”, had made things worse, he added.
He also cited other contributing factors such as inadequate drainage systems, the obstruction of river canals by weeds, and illegal constructions on the waterways.
According to SEMA, in 2020, floods in the state resulted in at least 40 deaths and the destruction of over 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of crops.
In the most recent incident on August 4, two days of heavy rainfall led to flooding in Ajingi district, which claimed three lives and displaced nearly 500 people, Jalli reported.