The federal government has plans to establish flood control project in Kaduna to protect residents who battle with flood annually losing farmlands and properties whenever River Kaduna overflows it’s banks after heavy rainfalls.
This is just as Kaduna state government raised alarm over threats of pollution to River Kaduna as a result of human activities such as dumping of solid, faecal and industrial wastes, which have negative effects on purity of the river and marine lives that live in it.
Kaduna state in recent years has suffered spates of floods leading to loss of lives, properties including houses, crops and even farmlands, but succour seems to be on the way following Federal Government’s plan to build flood walls around River Kaduna to protect the people and their properties, according to the Acting Director, National Water Resources Institute, Dr. Martin Edufie.
Addressing the 2020 World Rivers Day on Monday in Kaduna with the theme: ‘Waterways in our Communities’, Edufie said the federal government’s plan was based on yearly study on flood in Kaduna state.
“Very soon we are going to have a flood control project in Kaduna. We are going to have flood walls on both banks of River Kaduna to protect the people.
“This is a result of our yearly study on flood in Kaduna state. Every year we study the flood in Kaduna and submit our report to our Minister. The Minister has taken steps to address the challenge. People are encroaching flood lane, we need to respect the waterways and ensure quality of water. Water serves several purposes. World River Day started in 2005, every fourth Sunday of September to highlight the importance of rivers,” he said.
Kaduna state Commissioner for Public Works and Infrastructure, Hajiya Balaraba Aliyu Inuwa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Bashir Umar Lere, decried river pollution and climate change as challenges facing river development. “The other major challenge is climate change and its pursuant effects. Climate change is having a multitude of immediate and longterm impacts on water resources across the world.
“These include flooding, drought, sea level rise in estuaries, drying up of rivers, poor water quality in surface and groundwater system. Even here in Kaduna, we are experiencing excessive rainfall which leads to flooding and damage to life and property across the city. The solution pivots on taking urgent action to utilise science technology and innovation policies relevant to water audit and management.”
The Managing Director, Kaduna State Water Corporation, Malam Sanusi Maikudi, in his remarks, said, “We should respect river because it is source of employment, food, economic and recreation. It is time to start dredging river to make them navigable and improve water transportation.”
