Bauchi floods kill 24, destroy property worth N22bn

The Bauchi State Executive Council has confirmed that 24 people have so far lost their lives as well as property worth over N22bn destroyed due to persistent floods in 16 local government areas of the state.

The council stated this on Monday stating that it has constituted an inter-ministerial committee to assess the damages caused by the devastating natural disaster.

Speaking with journalists after the council’s meeting, the commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajara Wanka who disclosed that the ministry is still compiling its report noted, “But from the report they have recorded, 24 lost their life, 163 injured, 16 local Government areas affected, 60 culverts washed away, 12 major roads were cut off, 178 electric poles were destroyed, 11,183 livestock and 122,330 households were affected and,52,000 houses were destroyed.

“When such an incident happened, the victims were kept in primary schools and later they joined their relatives in the town they didn’t open any Internally Displaced Persons camp.”

Wanka also confirmed that the council has ratified the release of funds to rehabilitate damaged structures, including culverts, access roads, schools, and public buildings.

She maintained that the committee’s formation followed a directive from the Federal Government to ascertain the magnitude of the disaster, which affected many states in the federation.

“The committee, chaired by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Aminu Hammayo, will comprise relevant commissioners as members, with the Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Kashim, monitoring its activities, “she stated.

On his part, the Commissioner for Housing and Environment, Dallami Kawule, announced that he had directed his ministry to crack down on structures built on waterways across the state.

He said the move aimed to prevent future flood disasters as assessments indicated that blockage of waterways exacerbated the problem.

In his remarks, the commissioner for Education, Jamila Ɗahiru said, “The Ministry of Education has secured approval for the renovation and remodelling of the state Education Resource Center, which will be merged with the newly commissioned Zainab Bulkachuwa ICT Center to form a world-class learning centre to boost education and Learning in the state.”