Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno state Wednesday directed the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners and Flood Control Committee to come up with a holistic physical development plan for the state.
He also pledged to build an underground infrastructure to enable free water flow in the state capital, Maiduguri, to control and manage flooding in the metropolis which displaces residents annually and destroys property of citizens.
The General Manager, Borno State Urban Planning and Development Board (BSUPDB), Kaka Mallam Umar, stated this while on general inspection of flooded and water lodged areas of Maiduguri Metropolis.
The inspection which was on the directive of the state governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, is to access areas with lingering flooding problems with a view to finding a lasting solution to the menace.
The areas inspected include 505 Housing Estate, Muna Garage, Maduganari, Shuwari I, II, III, Old CBN quarters and Gomari.
The general manager stated that to curtail the menace of flood disaster in the state capital, Maiduguri city, new measures have been adopted to ensure proper environmental sanitation through clearance of drainages, evacuation of refuse dumps and fumigation.
He further said that despite several warnings from the state government, people are building illegal structures on waterways that are already marked by the board.
The general manager noted that there was the need for expansion and deepening of the depth of water ways in the city while pointing out that there was also the need to link up all retention areas to the already existing reservoirs as in the case of areas like Shuwari community.
