Ending Flooding Nightmare in Katsina

For residents of flood-prone communities in Katsina State, it is respite all the way as the major intervention work by the state government in collaboration with the World Bank, has come to their rescue, writes Francis Sardauna

Katsina town is one of the many towns and cities in Katsina State whose communities were perennially devastated by floods and soil erosion resulting from storm water flow. The flood and erosion hazards of this town have caused major property losses to residents and remain a serious threat to lives in the communities.

The storm water drainage systems in Katsina have severely degraded over the years lacking adequacy and maintenance. These drainage systems have become corridors of most floods and erosion hazards in the state creating severe structural and environmental damages in Katsina, Jibia, Malumfashi, Funtua, Charanchi, Dutsin-Ma and some local governments in the state.

The damages orchestrated by the flooding in the affected local governments include, destruction to homes, schools, hospitals properties, and farmlands as well as causing unprecedented siltation of community streams and low lands in the hitherto flood ravaged-local governments, especially Katsina, the state capital.

Other perennial challenges that hitherto bedeviled the state include, but not limited to, erosion, desertification, deforestation and excessive heat, which have negatively affected the socio-economic well-being of the citizenry and development drive in most parts of the state.

Promise to Explore Effective Urban Planning

Understanding the severity and urgency of the situation, Governor Aminu Bello Masari, on assumption of office in 2015, promised to explore effective urban planning, developmental control, drainage designs, dredging, construction of drainage channels and environmental education to mitigate all climate change-induced problems confronting the state.

Reactivation of State Ecological Fund Law

Masari, who believes that a safe, clean and sanitised environment is paramount to attaining quality education, improved and sustainable agricultural production, potable water, improved hygiene, good health as well as poverty reduction, reactivated the State Ecological Fund Law (No 5) of 2005 which paved the way for statutory deductions of two per cent of the monthly allocations due to the state and the 34 local governments from the federal government to end the ecological predicaments.

Priority to Environmental Issues

The reactivation of the 2014 amended law has given the visionary governor an opportunity to accord priority to environmental issues. He swung into action by expanding over N11 billion to tackle the ecological challenges of flood, drought, erosion, waste management and climate change, which had heretofore endangered the lives and property of the citizenry across the nooks and crannies of the state.

He constructed flood and erosion control structures in 164 sites, covering over 200 communities across the 34 local government areas of the state. These projects include 135,329 metres of drainages comprising reinforced concrete lined, block and masonry lined drainages as well as 163 numbers of box culverts.

World Bank’s Assistance through NEWMAP

The flood mitigation measures taken by the Masari-led administration paved the way for the government to secure approval from the World Bank through its Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) to assist the state with other ecological projects in order to tame the menace in the state.

To ensure immediate take-off and implementation of the NEWMAP project in Katsina, the state government paid a counterpart cash contribution of N500 million into the World Bank’s project dedicated account and provided furnished office accommodation, including key personnel for the state project management unit.

Therefore, following the 2018 flood in Jibia Local Government Area of the state that was caused by torrential rains on Nigeria’s border with Niger Republic which claimed over 50 lives and rendered thousands of people homeless, the World Bank tagged the provision of storm water drainages and diversion channels in the area as emergency.

Accordingly, the state government engaged a reputable consultant that provided the designs for the implementation of the project at the cost of N662 million, and the project has been successfully implemented at the cost of N8.9 billion. The partnership between the state government and the NEWMAP also led to the construction of a benefitting storm water drainage management in Katsina town with the whooping sum of N5.8billion.

Another storm water drainage system was also constructed in Funtua metropolis at the cost of N4.028 billion in order to mitigate flooding in the city. The construction of storm water drainage management in Malumfashi town with a total cost of N5.2 billion has significantly tamed the devastating effects of flooding in the local government and other adjoining communities and villages in the agrarian part of the state which occurred annually since the 1970s.

These projects include the block line drainage at Yammawa quarters, replacement of culvert and improvement of drainage at Kwalan-kwalan community phase I and II, construction of reinforced concrete/block lined drain with cover slab at Filin Samji water pond.

Others are reinforced concrete line drain along the Yahaya Madaki way from Kofar Kwaya to Kofar Kaura lot 2, 3,4,5 and 6, construction of two reinforced concrete drain, culverts and access slab at Family Support primary and secondary schools and reinforced concrete retaining wall and lined drainage at Legislative Complex along Kaita road.

Also, the Masari’s government also constructed three cells (5m×3m) box culverts at Kofar Durbi, R.C lined drainage, box culvert, vehicular/access slabs as well as pavement works and provision of laterite filling from General hospital along Kofar Sauri to Dantakum Graveyard down to Katsina College which linked Yammawa drainage behind city wall, Yarinchi in Katsina metropolis.

Another milestone achievement by the Masari-led government in Katsina metropolis is the construction of pedestrian crossing and expansion of the water channel between Nayalli Bridge and Adeleke Bridge.

In Charanchi local government, masonry line drainages and retaining walls were equally constructed by the state government at Kofar Gabas, Kofar Katika and Kofar Yamma respectively in Radda village.

The administration also constructed another reinforced concrete trapezoidal drain, masonry lined drain, vehicular/pedestrian access slab and laterite filling at Pilot Primary School, Charanchi.

In the same vein, the state government in its bid to mitigate the effect of flooding, constructed reinforced concrete lined drain, single cell box culverts in Jibia metropolitan area. Similarly, trapezoidal stone pitched drain and rip rap protection works were carried out in Tafkin Kanku in Mani local government. Similar projects have also been executed in Danmusa, Batagarawa, Zango, Musawa, Faskari, Kankara, Malumfashi, Kafur, Dandume, Danja and Funtua local governments by the government of Aminu Bello Masari.

Erosion Control and Reforestation Drive

More also, the government developed designs for the construction of flood and erosion control structures in different 105 sites across the three senatorial zones of the state. Consultancy service has been completed at the cost of N700 million and was submitted to the World Bank for approval, financing and execution of the projects.

The government, through the European Union Grant Project for Sustainable Development of Farm-agro Forestry and Fuel Wood Conservation System, has provided counterpart funds amounting to the tune of N59,374,999,99 for tree planting and reforestation of degraded forest estates across the state.

Tackling Waste

However, to eradicate the menace of indiscriminate dumping of refuse which often lead to blockage of water channels, the state government has purchased six refuse evacuation vehicles with 105 refuse containers imported from China and placed in designated refuse collection centers in major cities of Daura, Katsina and Funtua. The measures have also ensured pollution management in the state.

The governor, in his doggedness to ensure environmental safety, also procured additional 100 refuse collection containers at the cost of N37,500,000 and 70 knapsack sprayers and 15 fogger machines for pest vector control, in order to curtail mosquitoes in the state at the cost N8,800,000.

To enhance effective service delivery, the Masari-led administration has recruited additional 231 casual staff and increased the monthly stipends of the over 2,000 casual staff of the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) from the usual N4,500 to N7,000 to boost their productivity. Additional working tools, such as diggers, shovels, wheelbarrows, rain boots, hand gloves, aprons, among others, were procured and distributed to the workers.

Despite spending over N30 billions on erosion control projects in all the 34 local government areas of the state, the Masari administration is still undertaking regular desilting of drains and opening up new drainages aimed at sustaining the mitigation of ecological challenges of flood, erosion, drought and climate change effects that heretofore endangered the lives and properties of the citizenry.

Commendations

Thus, excitement flowed in torrents from residents of the benefitting cities, communities and villages who lamented that they have been neglected by previous administrations. The situation, which they stressed, led to the death of many people and forced thousands to abandon their large expanse of land and hundreds of submerged buildings due to the ravaging floods.

A resident of Kofar Kaura, Adamu Ibrahim, recalled that the flood had been dealing with them since the 1990s and became more terrible 10 years ago. He, however, praised Governor Masari for the intervention work which he said has eradicated flooding in the state capital and other neighbouring communities.

According to him, “Before the construction of drainages in Kofar Kaura by Governor Aminu Masari, whenever it rains heavily, my house always gets flooded and I would have to move my family to the village till the water dries up but the construction of drainages in the city has brought this untold hardship to an end in this area. We thank the governor for the job well-done”.

Another resident from Jibia, Bature Nafiu, said a ravaging flash flood which destroyed no fewer than 5,000 houses and killed over 50 people in the border town in 2018 has been stemmed through the construction of numerous drainages in the area by the state government in collaboration with the NEWMAP.

He added: “After a devastated and deadly flooding that occurred here (Jibia) in 2018, the government of Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari has constructed many drainages in Jibia town and some communities within the local government. This has significantly controlled flooding and other ecological challenges in the local government. In fact, since 2018, we have not experienced any flooding in Jibia. We are grateful to the People’s Governor. Allah will surely bless and reward him abundantly”.

Nafiu, therefore, admonished residents of Jibia to desist from building on water channels and dumping of wastes in drains in order to curtail disaster from flood, saying such actions were responsible for the occurrence of the 2018 flooding in the area.

For Gora Nura, a resident of Funtua, land developers across the state should obey existing laws and go for approval from relevant government authorities before commencing any building project.

He equally enjoined them to carry out the construction in line with the approval without alteration while stressing the need for strict enforcement of extant laws that regulate building development by the state government through the Ministry of Land and Survey.

Instituting Culture of Merit

However, Masari’s ability to institute a culture of merits in awarding contracts for the milestone achievements also made his administration shun misuse of public resources. The performance of the Restoration Government in the environment and other sectors in the past seven years of daunting struggle sumps up the audacious rebirth of the state from the snares of mis-governance and financial embezzlement.

It is therefore pertinent to say that the restoration roadmap and the direction taken by the governor in revamping the environment sector by addressing flooding and other environmental challenges further uphold his principles of rule of law, accountability, inclusive governance and prudence in managing the resources for the development of Katsina State.

Accordingly, the developmental drives of Governor Masari’s government in the environmental sector had immensely led to the giant strides recorded in health, education, agriculture and water supply but residents most support this noble course by avoiding human factors that could result in the old quagmire.

The revolving and proactive steps being explored by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in Katsina State had drastically stemmed the effects of flooding and other environmental challenges that hitherto bedeviled residents, their properties and businesses across the 361 political wards of the state.

Quotes

After a devastating and deadly flooding that occurred here (Jibia) in 2018, the government of Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari constructed many drainages in Jibia town and some communities within the local government. This has significantly controlled flooding and other ecological challenges in the local government. In fact, since 2018, we have not experienced any flooding