EDDY OCHIGBO, Kaduna
Worried by the looming danger of flooding in Chikun Local Government Council of Kaduna state, residents of the areas affected have called on the state government to find a lasting solution to the perennial flooding which has brought about untold hardship to the people annually during the rainy season.
Councilor of Sabon Tasha ward, Honorable Ganaka James Kogi, disclosed that the recent rains which submerged the Nnamdi Azikiwe Byepass, has been a big source of concern to members of the communities prone to flooding in Sabon Tasha.
Kogi revealed: “A bakery had carried out evacuation on the drainage sometimes early last week, but the debris returns to drainages because of the deplorable state of roads in the community, most of which have never been paved. We have bad feeder roads leading to this highway. Erosion over the years has rendered useless several kilometers of drainages built by residents; making all the waste products during rain find their way into nearby households, leading to avoidable floods. I also fear that waste management and the sanitation culture needs to improve because refuse left in drainages could also be contributing to the problem, which can lead to cholera epidemic”.
He told NATIONAL ACCORD that although he has been in touch with the management of the Kaduna Environment Protection Agency to find an alternative dumping site for the area, the story has regrettably remained the same.
A youth leader in the affected community, Wayo Silas Mahek, told our Correspondent that human activity is also part of the cause of the floods.
“If the drainages are kept clean, flooding will not happen, business owners who throw trash from their shops and offices into the drainage are also not helping the situation and are exposing most of what is left as infrastructure in the area to decay”.
According to him, the state government needs to urgently, ensure that shop owners along the major roads do not throw refuse into the drainages, by providing refuse disposals amenities in the affected areas.
Bonat Tachio, a resident believes that authorities like Kaduna Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA) and Kaduna State Roads Agency have not been responsive enough to the plight of the people, thereby worsening the an already bad situation.
Head of Leadership, Governance and Advocacy, Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development, Yusuf Goje, who met with the few community actors, encouraged youth leaders in the ward to partner with organizations, mobilize, organize and engage in massive awareness creation in the community, and initiate an advocacy to relevant government agencies towards addressing the issue of flooding brought about by poor infrastructure and bad waste management practices in the area.
“The consensus to collaboratively organize community sensitization and mobilize able bodied youth to clear the blocked drainages and fashion out advocacy that would ensure a permanent solution, is the way to go” Goje remarked.
The Kaduna State Government has earmarked a chunk of its capital budget for an ongoing Urban Renewal programme, though inside the metropolis, to detriment of areas like Sabon Tasha, resulting in wide public outcry of neglect by residents in the fringes of the city centre.