Flood-prone communities in Zamfara State are bracing up for any eventuality after the flood alert issued by the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA.
In Yan Mangorori Tasha Malena, a suburb of Gusau Metropolis which is one of the communities that is predicted will be affected by the impending flood, the residents are worried that they have no place to evacuate to, and are rather resorting to divine intervention.
Last year, seven Local Government Areas in the State were seriously affected by floods, with several houses washed away and property destroyed.
Zamfara State is one of the States in which the Nigerian Metrological Agency, NiMET, and more recently NEMA have issued flood alerts, warning that three Local Governments which are OAnka, Bungu,d,u and Gusau will be affected by flood this August But for residents of the Yan Mangorori community, evacuating their community without any alternatives provided for them will leave them stranded.
The District Head, Ibrahim Abubakar expressed concern over the development. A lecturer in the Department of Geography, at the Federal University, Gusau, Lukman Bello said that flood is a natural phenomenon that can not be prevented from occurring but the high rate of its impact can be reduced.
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He highlighted the ways flood can be managed including; avoiding flood-prone areas, stopping people from building on waterways, enforcement of building regulations and environmental sanitation as well as relocating people from high-risk areas to safer ground.
Efforts to get the relevant State Government department to comment on the measures being taken to avert the impending flood were not successful as officials declined that until they receive clearance to do so.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
