Flood Threats: Taraba Govt Pledges To Protect Riverine Communities
By Kabiru Jalo
The Taraba State Government says it will continue to introduce safety mechanisms that will help in protecting the lives and property of the people living along the River banks to avoid unnecessary loss of lives as a result of flooding.
This commitment was made by the Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas through his Deputy, Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi Alkali.
He was addressing the officials of the Taraba state Ministry of Special Duties, Humanitarian Affairs and Regional Development along with some partners, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, National Inland Water Ways as well as the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA and security agents.
They were at the Government House to brief the Governor on the status of flooding in the country and Taraba State in particular.
These include the challenges posed by flooding and what needs to be done to curtail unwanted occurrence of flooding along the red spots zones.
Represented by the state Deputy Governor, Alh Aminu Abdullahi Alkali, Governor Agbu Kefas, having listened to the various submissions by the teams, expressed the commitment of the Taraba State Government to take whatever protective measures that will continue to safeguard lives and property of the people of Taraba state.
He called on the team members to use whatever means available to reach the already identified flash points in the state through enlightenment and sensitization for possible relocation to safer grounds, calling on the riverine communities to take directives and advice from authorities for their own safety.
According to him, accurate data of affected persons must be presented to the Government for onward transmission to the most appropriate authorities for for possible assistance.
The Taraba State Commissioner, Ministry of Special Duties,Humanitarian Affairs and Regional Development, Hon Saviour Noku in his remarks informed the Governor about the efforts made by the Ministry in collaboration with partners that yielded success during the awareness campaigns to the communities living along the river banks including the positive responses.
The representatives of NEMA, Director Operations, Adamawa and Taraba offices, Ladan Ayuba in his overview of the 2024 Flood, said based on the available data in the state, 19 people have been reported dead, 276 people injured, while over 26, 000 people were affected, with 3, 518 houses affected and 6, 330 hectares of farmland were destroyed by the recent flood in some parts of Taraba state.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties,Humanitarian Affairs and Regional Development, Hajiya Hurera Gadu who highlighted the essence of the meeting, also re echoed the call for all hands to be on deck to offer suggestions on how best to tackle some of the challenges highlighted by experts.
