A devastating flood has displaced more than 1,000 residents and claimed the lives of two children in Kafanchan and surrounding villages in Jema’a LGA, Kaduna.

Christy Usman, vice-chairwoman of Jema’a LGA, revealed this during a visit by the Kaduna State Impact Assessment Committee on Flood to the affected communities in the south of Kaduna on Monday.

She said the flood, which hit parts of Kafanchan town, Jagindi, Atuku, Aso and Bade wards, also destroyed farmlands, with crops worth millions of naira washed away.

“The flood has severely hit the economy of Jema’a LGA, but we are grateful that Governor Uba Sani has responded by dispatching a committee led by the chief of staff, Malam Sani Liman Kila, to assess the damage,” Ms Usman stated.

She expressed hope that relief and compensation would soon reach the victims, particularly those whose farms were destroyed and the more than 1,000 residents affected.

“Two children were tragically swept away by the flood from a canal in Kafanchan,” she stated.

After touring the affected communities in Sanga, Jema’a, and Kachia LGAs, Sani Liman Kila, chairman of the committee and the chief of staff, emphasised the urgent need for assistance.

He said that thousands of people were in dire need of immediate help. He also highlighted that the flood had damaged a bridge in Agom, Sanga LGA, cutting off five communities and causing houses to collapse in Nandu.

Mr Kila regretted the recurring floods in Kafanchan over the years and revealed that a deep gully, requiring urgent attention, had been created.

The committee identified narrow bridges, illegal structures on waterways, and indiscriminate dumping of refuse as major contributors to the flooding.

Mr Kila assured the public that his team would provide appropriate recommendations to the governor and called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to support the efforts to provide relief materials to the victims.

A flood victim, Murtala Muhammad, from Kindaza Road in Kafanchan, lamented that flooding had become an annual occurrence in the area. He added that the buildup of refuse in the community poses a health risk, especially to children, and urged the government to clear the waste to forestall future flooding.

(NAN)