Water. It is crucial for human survival, but its excesses could be disastrous and sometimes deadly.
This is exactly the unbearable situation of farmers and residents of areas trapped by flood waters from the Tiga Dam in Kano.
They are at the receiving end of days of rainfall that led to the overflowing of the dam.
Farmers in Bebeji, Rano, and Kura Count Losses
Alhassan Ibrahim Tiga is one of the unhappy farmers. Every year, he got over 200 bags of rice from his 20-hectare farmland until this year. He cannot boast of a bag.
“Every year I have over 200 bags of rice on my farm. But look at the farm now, everything has washed away, including what I planted this year.
“I may be unable to use the farm again because it has turned to sand,” he lamented
It was double jeopardy for Mallam Yunusa Gada, a resident of Gidan Sarkin Kogi Village in Tiga.
He did not only lose 10 hectares of his rice, maize, and millet farmland to the flooding but also lost his 3-bedroom home.
“I lost my ten hectares of land, including the rice, maize, and millet I planted. I also lost my house as the water continued to overflow.
“I had to flee to town for safety with my family,” he said.
For his part, Adamu Garba’s rice was ready for harvest before the flooding. Now, taking care of his family is a major challenge.
“My rice was ready for harvest. Unfortunately, this happened. To be honest, I don’t know how to feed my family after the unfortunate incident.”
The situation is similar at Munture Community in Rano Local Government, 20 kilometers away from Tiga.
A resident, Abdulrahuf Saleh has lost count of farmers whose farmlands were washed away.
“Over 100 farmers' farms were washed away in this community alone. Every year I harvested over 150 bags of rice alone, with this development, I may not get a single bag this year,” he said.
23 Killed, 16,000 Farmlands Destroyed
The Executive Secretary of the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Saleh Jili said the flooding killed 23 persons and injured 102 others.
More than 16,644 farmlands were washed away and 12,637 houses were destroyed.
“So far, we can confirm that 23 people died following the flood, while 102 people were seriously injured. We also have the record of 16,644 farmlands that was washed away, while 12,637 houses were destroyed,” he said.
Water Supply Channel Destroyed by Flood
Drinking water would become scarce in Kano because many water pipelines were damaged by the Tiga Dam flooding, according to the Sarkin Ruwa of Tiga, Abdullahi Adamu.
“It is so unfortunate. Our fear now is that we may experience a shortage of clean water because the pipelines that supply water were also destroyed.”
When contacted, the State Commissioner for Water Resource, Garba Yusuf said his office was doing everything possible to repair the damaged pipes.
“Yes, we are aware that the overflowing water destroyed our pipes. But we are currently working to ensure that we repair the damage pipes before we experience any sort of water scarcity”.
State and Federal Governments Promise to Rebuild
Kano State and federal government authorities have assessed the damages caused by the flooding.
During a joint visit to the affected areas with the Minister of Water Resources, Kano State Deputy Governor, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna directed SEMA to provide succor for the victims.
“The state government has directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to compile the names of the victims,” he announced.
Dr. Gawuna further promised to expedite action to repair the affected roads when the flooding subsides.
“We have access to the affected road, and we promise to repair it immediately after the water subsides.”
On his part, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu ordered the immediate closure of a bridge, the Gadar Sarkin Kogi at Tiga to avoid catastrophe.
“It’s very important that we close this bridge because a lot of water is passing under it. And presently, we do not know if it has done any damage to it. We will compile our report at the end of the day for urgent assistance,” he said.
