By Ude Ogbonnaya Israel
Residents of Bauchi State have been alerted to take necessary measures to mitigate the dire effects of flooding especially through drainage clearance identified as one of the major causes of the disaster.
This was an outcome of an interface between Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) and State Directorate of National Orientation Agency (NOA) in seeking solutions to the problem.
This concern is coming at the heels of the prediction of Nigerian Meteorological Agency NiMET that nineteen states in Nigeria including Bauchi will witness heavy downpour by September 2022 that can give rise to flooding.
In his submission, the Director General, Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) Dr. Ibrahim Kabir said the agency have taken certain conscious measures but insisted the citizens must Complement their efforts to yield result.
He added that the agency have introduced an Initiatve tagged, “My premises, my drainage” where each community is responsible to gather drainage waste within their area to a spot for onward evacuation by its official.
According to him where a community refuse to do so, they will be made to gather and evacuate it themselves.
Earlier in her submission, the Deputy Director NOA Mrs Theresa Magaji who represented the state Director said the negative effects of flooding like loss of lives, livestock, properties as well as wide spread of diseases prompted the agency to alert the citizens.
She added that an Agency like BASEPA in the state is one they need to patner with to enlighten the masses and to plan ahead against different forms of flooding disaster.
