The Bauchi state government has confirmed that 24 people lost their lives as well as property worth over N22 billion destroyed due to persistent flood in 16 local government areas of the state.
To this end, the government has constituted an inter-ministerial committee to assess the damages caused by the devastating natural disaster.
Speaking with journalists on the outcome of the state council meeting, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajara Wanka, stated that the ministry is still compiling its report and noted that, “But from the report they have recorded, 24 lost their lives, 163 injured, 16 local government areas affected, 60 culverts washed away, 12 major roads cut off, 178 electric poles destroyed, 11,183 livestock, 122,330 households affected and 52,000 houses destroyed.
“When such an incident happened, the victims were kept in primary schools and later, they joined their relatives in the town. Government didn’t open any Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp.”
Wanka confirmed that the council has ratified the release of funds to rehabilitate damaged structures including culverts, access roads, schools, public buildings.
She added 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.
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