The Jigawa government says it has constructed a 132-kilometre embankment and 32 drains to control flooding in the state.

Governor Umar Namadi said this at the inauguration of the 2025 Tree Planting Campaign in Dutse.

He stated that the government has constructed embankments along the Hadejia River to mitigate floods, protect farmlands, and build resilience among vulnerable communities.

Mr Namadi said his administration was currently constructing drains in 32 different locations across the state to reclaim eroded and flooded areas.

He said the state government also deployed two amphibious excavators to dredge the Hadejia River and clear blocked channels to ease the flow of water.

The governor stated that this initiative will mitigate the perennial floods ravaging the state, protect the environment, and improve the social and economic well-being of the people.

“I’m pleased to inform you that towards the end of the year 2023, the Jigawa state government acquired two amphibious hydraulic excavators, purposely for channel clearance in areas affected by invasive typha grass.

“Coordinated by a technical committee, these were deployed for the clearance of river channels in the riverine areas, targeting over 159 kilometres to facilitate the free flow of water.

“This is to mitigate the occurrence of perennial floods devastating the environment, which has had an adverse effect on people’s lives and property over the years,” he said.

According to Mr Namadi, the state government is also distributing manual working tools and materials to encourage communal efforts to mitigate the disaster.

Abdullahi Sa’id, the chairman of the Jigawa Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC), said the state government has provided adequate funds to fast-track flood mitigation and emergency response services.

He said the measure would enhance flood mitigation and emergency response services in the 21 local government areas, predicted to experience floods this rainy season.

Also, Nura Abdullahi, the head of the Kano Territorial Office, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said the agency has scaled up sensitisation activities to create awareness on flood mitigation.

Mr Abdullahi said the LEMCs and other stakeholders had been mobilised to fast-track proactive flood mitigation activities across the 27 local government areas of the state.

Ahmad Tijjani, director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Jigawa, said the agency conducted sensitisation activities in five flood-prone communities in the state.

In the same vein, the Bauchi government has begun a statewide monthly environmental sanitation exercise to mitigate flooding in the state.

Mas’ud Aliyu, director-general, Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (BASEMA), said the measure was part of an elaborate flood preparedness plan to mobilise communities to effectively prevent the disaster.

He said the campaign targeted flood-prone communities and urged residents to vacate high-risk zones to safeguard lives and property.

Mahmud Bose, director general, Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), said the agency was enforcing compulsory environmental sanitation exercises.

(NAN)