Niger community decries spate of erosion, flooding

‘At any heavy rainfall, we find it very hard to cope as we continuously lose lives and property worth millions of naira to perennial flooding in our community’.

These were the words of residents of Kpege, Anguwar Hausawa, Eti Sheshi and Efu Abebe areas of Mokwa Local Government Area, Niger State.
According to one of the residents, Usman Salihu Yamman, “the death trap pit which keeps expanding as years passes by, covers about 1,609. 344 meters, which are equivalent to 1, 760 yards. It is not deliberately dug; rather it is as a result of gully erosion bedeviling our community.

Prior to the degradation of this road, it was a smooth road plied by many in the community including travelers”.

He further blamed the situation on the construction of the General Hospital at Eti Sheshi, which is sitting on the path where the water usually flows freely.

“After the construction of the hospital, which was done without a proper foundation and a good plan for drainage systems, the flood from other areas diverted to these affected places. Nevertheless, lack of adequate provision for drainage is the major contributing factor”. He added.

A traditional ruler and the head of Mokwa community ‘Lile Mokwa’, Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed Shaba, while addressing newsmen on November 22, 2019, lamented the horrible state of the road. He reiterated the effort of the state government to address the issue.

He said, “the state government has called on all relevant stakeholders to draft a proposal on how to tackle the problem, emphasising on the use of indigenous contractors living in the affected areas so that they would beheld accountable if they abandon the work.

The Guardian learnt from one of the residents, Mallam Yussuf Ismail that the situation dates back to 15 years ago and it has been getting worse.

He said: “The flood has been killing our children and animals as well. We appeal to the government for their intervention. When it is cloudy now, the number of people who pray for the rain not to fall exceeds numbers of those that do, because they are afraid of the disaster that would follow thereafter”.

One Mallam Muazu, ‘Sarkin Hausawa’ (The leader of Hausa people) in Mokwa bemoaned the number of lives lost in the past years and how the frequent incident has rendered some people homeless.