Skip to main content

Uneasy rainy days in Kaduna


  • How infrastructure deficit worsens the climate crises
... flooding in Sabon Tasha

By DANGWA DANJUMA
Following heavy downpour in this wet season, communities in the fringes of Kaduna metropolis, are helplessly alarmed by the magnitude of flooding they are experiencing which for them have become a recurring signature of rainfall in recent time. 
In Sabon Tasha, Chikun local government area, constituting many communities of majorly low income earners in the state have, called on government to find a lasting solution to incessant flooding bedevilling the community during rainy seasons.
"Erosion over the years have made useless several kilometers of drainages built by residents, making all debris during rain to find their way through the unhindered growing channels that mark the roads leading to the highway.  I also fear that waste management and the sanitation culture needs to improve because refuse left in drainages could also be contributing to the problem", says the Ward Councilor, Honorable Ganaka James Kogi on the flood that submerged Kachia Road in front of a bakery.
I always say it, even to the environmental agency, that it is not entirely the fault of the residents, because in the first place what informed the decision of the authority to give the go ahead to residents to dump refuse on the pavement? It is wrong
Kogi further hinted: "The bakery had carried out evacuation on the drainage sometimes last week, but the waste returns faster to drainages because of the deplorable state of roads in the community most of which have never been paved. We have bad feeder roads leading to this highway."
I always say it, even to the environmental agency, that it is not entirely the fault of the residents, because in the first place what informed the decision of the authority to give the go ahead to residents to dump refuse on the pavement? It is wrong", he stated.
Speaking to CUBINKS NEWS, Kogi revealed that, "I have been keeping in touch with the management of the Kaduna Environment Protection Agency on this and the stage we are in now is locating alternative dump site. We will also inform residents to ensure compliance as the community must take responsibility of doing the right thing."

the blame is on shop owners, commuters; bad roads and drainage systems from the streets to the highway; heavy downpour that characterizes the rainy season and neglect from authorities like Kaduna Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA), Kaduna State Roads Agency who have blinded their eyes to the plight of the community

A youth leader in the affected community, Wayo Silas Mahek, regretted that human activity 
which ought to improve the environment has turned out to be the cause of the problem. "If the drainages are kept clean, flooding will not happen, business owners who throw trash from their shops and offices into the drainage are also not helping the situation and are exposing most of what is left as infrastructure in the area to decay ".
The government needs to urgently, ensure that shop owners along the major roads do not throw refuse into drainages, by persecuting defaulters. They should also evacuate refuse gathered at pick-up locations timely, to prevent the rains washing them back into the drainages", Mahek admonished.
Bonat Tachio, a resident of the area also corroborated Mahek, "the blame is on shop owners, commuters; bad roads and drainage systems from the streets to the highway; heavy downpour that characterizes the rainy season and neglect from authorities like Kaduna Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA), Kaduna State Roads Agency who have blinded their eyes to the plight of the community".

Head of Leadership, Governance and Advocacy, Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development, Yusuf Goje, who met with the few community actors, encouraged youth leaders in the ward to partner with organizations, mobilize, organize and engage in massive awareness creation in the community, and initiate an advocacy to relevant government agencies towards addressing the issue of flooding brought about by poor infrastructure and bad waste management practices. 
There have been wide public outcry of neglect by residents of the area where a drainage project under Kaduna State Public Works Agency now KADRA had been abruptly suspended indefinitely all this while
There was a consensus to collaboratively organize community sensitization and mobilize able bodied youths to clear the blocked drainages and also launch an advocacy targeted at government to ensure a permanent solution to the climate crisis.
The Kaduna State Government has ranked infrastructure development and the ongoing Urban Renewal program under KADRA as second to none in its priorities; though inside the metropolis, Sabon Tasha have not been a beneficiary of the initiative after over four years of its implementation. There have been wide public outcry of neglect by residents of the area where a drainage project under Kaduna State Public Works Agency now KADRA had been abruptly suspended indefinitely all this while by the Kaduna State Government.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Malaria: In solidarity with Under-5s

A cross section of children Ward DANGWA DANJUMA R enewed campaign to eradicate malaria as part of activities to commemorate the World Malaria Day 2022, led by Centre for Media Advocacy for Mother and Child (CAMAC)  has kicked off in Kaduna. The campaign which is part of the NGOs "Malaria Eradication Campaign 2022" with the theme: "Eliminating Malaria through Community Engagement", this year, is themed: “Harness Innovation to Reduce the Malaria Disease Burden and Save Lives” The World Malaria Day is celebrated every 25th of April to bring greater awareness to the global fight and recognise the existence of malaria across the globe. This year's project is being supported by Newsweb Express an online news platform in collaboration with Civil Society for Malaria Elimination (CS4ME) a global network uniting civil society organizations and communities to achieve malaria elimination. People are more prone to malaria in the rainy weather and it is timely when communitie...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kaduna IDPs cry out over Deplorable Conditions

By DANGWA DANJUMA L ack of basic education, sanitation, healthcare facilities and access to portable water supply have hit Gwagwada, a host community camping over 300 households displaced from fifteen villages in Chikun Local Council of the state. Speaking at the flag off of relief materials distribution for the internally displaced persons (IDPs), the Village Head of Gadani, Mr Bitrus Tsauri disclosed: “Since they arrived, the wells which have been the sure source of water for several households in the community have dried up; the solar powered borehole is only providing drips of water necessitating most residents to seek drinking water from streams. Our two public primary schools and healthcare facility are currently inadequate and may be unsafe, especially with the coronavirus pandemic that Kaduna state is still counting cases”. He confirmed that those who can farm, have been provided land to start over again; there is still the worry however, for those who are unable to farm due t...
1 comment
Read more

'Development Partners, a blessing to my Community' - District Head

His Highness, Mr Haruna Kuye (3rd left, middle roll) flanked by the visitors and village heads T he District Head of Gidan Zaki, His Highness, Mr Haruna Kuye  has given kudos to members of the civil society, for positively touching the lives of his people, through frequent capacity building  in governance processes, thereby empowering his community in the area of tracking and monitoring government projects. "Work began sometime ago in my community and no one had information on the details of the project. I mobilized and led a small team to engage and inquire from the client and contractor the details of the project. Now we know the kilometers of the road to be constructed. I am grateful to participate in Open Government Partnership with regard to Local Government Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability engagements; without which we would not have had any idea by now on the ongoing governance reforms in Kaduna State.", he disclosed. He st...
Post a Comment
Read more

TRIBUTE: Dr Bala Takaya 1930 - 2018

  Bala John Takaya (2nd Left) at a function recently By Nasiru Jagaba Again, with rude shock, death has come upon us in the early hours of Sunday, 27th May, 2018. It is with deepest regret that the Middle Belt Youth Wing of Middle Belt Forum mourns the death of our President, Father, Mentor, and a tireless advocate of equity, fairness and justice, Dr Bala John Takaya, the President of Middle Belt Forum has silently closed the door of life and departed from us, never to return.  68 years old Takaya, an unparalleled University Senior Lecturer, a distinct politician who served as the  Secretary to State Government of the old Gongola State, a member of the 1987 Political Bureau. On the fight to restore democratic system of governance, he worked hand in hand with Chief Solomon Lar. Also, in 1999 he was the governorship candidate of the All People’s Party, APP later ANPP.  He is much esteemed in the community of Middle Belt and generally recognized as on...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Terrorists are all over, not only Southern Kaduna'

-Governor Nasir el-Rufai el-Rufai addressing Journalists in Hausa after a security meeting on Southern Kaduna By DANGWA DANJUMA G overnor Ahmed Nasir el-Rufai has admitted that terrorists are everywhere in Kaduna state, not only in the troubled Southern Kaduna, disclosing that miscreants have taken to the social media space to promote what he called disturbing and further aggravating the worsening situation situation with religious and ethnic colouration. Speaking to newsmen in Hausa, after a meeting with security officials, el-Rufai said that miscreants from Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and outside Nigeria are trying to insinuate that the Southern Kaduna killings is ethnic and religious even going as far as asking people to take the law into their hands. While maintaining that these people would be brought to book, he tasked traditional leaders, religious leaders and political office holders in the state to speak the truth about the happenings as failing to do so wo...
Post a Comment
Read more