28th July, 2021
The Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said two persons died in floods that destroyed over 1,500 houses in the aftermath of heavy rainfall in three Local Government Areas.
Alhaji Umar Mohammed, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the agency said over 800 houses were affected in Faskari, 400 in Bindawa and 300 in Sabuwa Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The two deaths recorded happened in Bindawa LGA, where the heavy rain lasted almost five hours.
Mohammed said the agency was already looking at how to assist the victims.
The heavy rain started at about 10 a.m on Monday and stopped at about 4 p.m..
It forced many motorists to abandon their vehicles.
Some of the residents of Katsina metropolis who spoke to NAN expressed worry over the flooding of some major streets due to the heavy downpour.
Many motorists driving along Kofar Kaura roundabout and some parts of the layout area of the metropolis were able to divert by using a single lane of the road to their various destinations.
One of the motorists, Malam Muhammad Safana, described the situation as worrisome, saying that it could worsen if the heavy rains continued.
“As you have seen, the rain has caused flooding, which filled some major roads in the city, looking for a route to pass, and also some houses were affected.
“As I was passing through the Tudun Katsira layout, some buildings were also affected due to the lack of proper drainage in the areas. Even those areas with the drainage are blocked by refuse, which obstructs the free flow of water during the rainy season,” he said.
Malam Abubakar Sani, another motorist, called on the state government to take immediate measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
“I hope that following this incident, this will serve as a reminder to the state government to take action immediately, to avert future recurrence.” Sani said