Massive flood in Jigawa destroys farmlands, displaces many

The flood in Miga, Kaugama and Guri Local Government Areas in Jigawa state has led to the destruction of farmlands in at least nine villages.

According to a spokesman, Alhaji Yunusa Bulama, 8,000 hectares of rice farmlands were destroyed, and about 4,000 hectares of cultivated land containing cassava and guinea corn were also destroyed. The flood has also displaced at least 500 families.

In a visit by the Deputy Governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Umar Namadi, to the Internally Displaced Person(IDPs) camps, he sympathized with the victims and promised that the government is dining its best to bring emergency assistance to the victims and provide lasting solution to the problem.

He also said that the state government would consider sending a supplementary budget to the state legislature to support flood victims across the state. He added that the state government is considering the relocation of some of the inhabitants of the communities to areas that flooding is not likely to occur.

This is the second time in three months that flood would occur in Jigawa state. In July, a flood occurred in the same Kaugama Local Government Area in the villages of Yallema and Dakkayyawe, about 91km distance from the towns of Mira, Kaugama and Guru, preliminary investigation carried out revealed that blockage of drainage in the areas were responsible for the disaster.