Bauchi Pledges Lasting Solution To Flooding In Kirfi, Other Affected Local Governments
By Abdullahi idris, Bauchi
Worried by the devastating effects of annual flooding in Kirfi LGA and other areas across the state, which claims lives and properties particularly farmlands, Bauchi State Government has pledged to provide a lasting solution to the yearly menace.
This was made known Monday during a tour conducted by a team of Engineers and Professionals to Storm water ways and erosion sites in Cheledi and Riban Garmo villages in the Local Government.
The team comprised of officials from BASEPA, Ministry of Works, Water Resources and Works Department of the local Government who visited some collapsed Dams in Sindigawo and Kolewa, Kuyintum Valley (Guantanamo), Storm water ways, erosion sites and some blocked drainages and cross culverts in Kirfi, Cheledi and Riban Garmo towns of Kirfi local government area.
The tour which was designed to make assessment and come up with a lasting solutions on the issue, provided an opportunity for the officials to have first hand information from the locals and also see for themselves some of the damages occured during the last year’s water flooding in the areas.
While at the palaces of Cheledi and Riban Garmo, the officials informed the traditional leadership and people of the affected communities, the commitments of administration of Senator Bala Abdulqadir Mohammed in providing lasting solutions to the issues of water flooding, not only in Kirfi Local Government but in the entire state in order to save the lives and properties of the people.
Director General of BASEPA, Dr Ibrahim Kabir while assuring the commencement of work before the full scale of the rainy season, called on them to continue supporting the government in providing basic amenities to the people and assured them that the visit is aimed at providing a lasting solutions to their predicaments.
He also used the occasion to inform them that, the water flooding issues in the local government will also form part of the world Bank Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) project, which targets to resolve lingering issues in the Environment, Agriculture and Water sectors in the nineteen Northern States of the Country.
Some of the measures considered as the most appropriate for ensuring free – flooding in the affected communities includes, Revisiting and desilting the damaged Dams, evacuation of the Storm water ways and diversion, construction of additional, bigger and strong drainages and culverts and desilting of the existing ones among others.
The team also considered massive afforestation exercise as a panacea to the solution to not only water flooding, but also to all the environmental challenges such as Soil Erosion, Climate Change, Global Warming among others.
The District Head of Riban Garmo, Alhaji Khalid Abubakar while welcoming the team, expressed appreciation for the tour which he said is timely and commended the team for a job well done.
He also assured his people continued support to the administration of Senator Bala Mohammed and urged them
