Not less than 25 persons have died, and 22 others severely injured, in flooding incidents across Bauchi state in 2020.
The state governor, Bala Mohammed said this when he received officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) at the government house yesterday.
It was learnt that over 5000 house and farmlands were also destroyed in the flood
According to the state deputy governor, Baba Tela, if nothing is done to quell the situation, the flooding may become threatening to food production in the state..
“Areas that have not seen water or flood for the last five years or so are now impassable with a lot of water there,” Tela said.
He said there are over 3,500 house and over 2,200 farmlands that have been destroyed.
He worried that since the state depends on farming, it would halt a lot of things.
” So when you have over 2,000 farms destroyed, that will give you an indication of what is to come – lack of food as time goes on”, He said.
“The issue of flooding has been a reoccurring decimal not only in the state but across the country. In Bauchi State, about 15 local government areas have been affected by flooding, which is because of the unusual rainfall earlier predicted by NEMA.
He noted that at least 25 people had died, adding that it is quite substantial adding that lives cannot be replaced.
Tell added that nkt less than 20 people were injured also.
“On the money lost as well as the farmlands and houses that have been destroyed this year, it’s almost N950 million, which does not include the infrastructure that the government has to replace as some roads have been washed away.”
