The Bauchi State Government has taken measures to mitigate the menace of flooding in the state ahead of the forthcoming rainy season.
Hajara Wanka, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, stated this on Wednesday.
Wanka spoke during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on flood disaster sustainable management strategy.
According to her, one of the strategies is the engagement with the stakeholders, especially those from the flood-affected areas in 2024 in the state.
Wanka said the meeting, themed ‘Building Resilience and Collaborative Solutions for Flood-Affected Communities’, is a call to action for all stakeholders in crafting strategies that are not only reactive but also proactive and preventive.
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She explained that the meeting would chart ways for effective flood prevention and mitigation measures, preparedness as well as evacuation techniques where needed.
“This town hall meeting represents a key step in our collective journey toward building resilient communities, mitigating risks, enhancing preparedness, and ensuring effective response and recovery in the face of flood disasters.
“Flooding is one of the most recurrent and devastating natural disasters affecting our communities and Bauchi State was the second most hit state in Nigeria after Borno in the year 2024.
“Many lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and significant challenges were posed to our socio-economic development.
“However, today’s engagement is not just about acknowledging the challenges; it is about forging a path forward.
“A path that prioritises sustainability, collaboration, and community-driven solutions,” she said.
Also speaking, the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency, l Adamu Neyola, explained that 16 local government areas of the state were affected by flood in 2024.
He said that the stakeholders’ meeting would identify the areas that were not captured during the assessment.
“We are also here to hear the depth, density, and severity of flood disasters that happened in those areas as well as the way forward so that we can mitigate, restore, and at least, recover from what we have lost.
“This disaster affects the community people and they are the ones that know what is happening like the causes and impacts of this flood disaster in their areas.
“Here, they are to bring out their coping capabilities, are they doing things that will prevent them from flooding, and come up with solutions by themselves”, said Neyola.
In his address, the Bauchi state Coordinator of, the North-East Development Commission, Ibrahim Bashir assured that the commission is committed to addressing any form of disaster that may have befallen the Northeastern region.
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