Six more people have died, according to Jigawa authorities, as a result of the flooding that has continued to devastate villages in the northwest state.
Just three days prior, Jigawa police officials reported that 29 additional persons had perished in flood-related accidents. The devastating floods had claimed 98 lives in the state as of Tuesday.
Sani Babura, the chairman of Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), who confirmed the six fresh fatalities, bemoaned the frightening extent of the state’s floods.
He claimed that the number of villages affected by the flooding was growing daily, which, in his opinion, has made the situation worse.
At least 57,000 people have been impacted so far, Sani said, adding that the deaths were related to flooding, storms, and lightning.
He claims that over 100,000 individuals were sacked from their homes, and some of them are now residing in one of the 49 camps that the state government set up to house the displaced.
“With regards to the farmlands, roads, and other infrastructure destroyed by the flooding, an assessment is ongoing and the statistics will be released, but the damage is enormous,” he said.
However, he assured that the organization was working round-the-clock to assist the victims in coordination with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other partners.
Since the beginning of August, at least 83 individuals have died in the state as a result of flood-related incidents, including women and children.
A result of eroding roadways, the floods also had an impact on the state’s infrastructure, causing inhabitants to find alternate routes to their destinations.
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has declared Jigawa to be the state most severely affected by the floods that have been destroying sections of the nation.
As of September 7, it was reported that 16 local government areas in the state were impacted, more than 72 people had died, and infrastructure, as well as property and livelihoods, had been ruined.
The NIHSA has urged officials in several states and the Federal Capital Territory to take action in order to stop the unsightly flooding threat of recent years.
According to it, Nigeria is currently in the height of the flooding season, and it is necessary for the government, particularly at the state and local government levels, to step up and establish measures to prevent related calamities in their spheres of influence.
In addition to warning that the rivers Niger and Benue system have started piling up because Nigeria is situated at the lowest point of the River Niger Basin, which is shared by nine nations, the agency claimed that nearly all 36 states and the FCT had experienced floods of some kind.
It also requested that officials in the 13 states that are located along the major channel of the Niger and Benue rivers improve preparation and put in place necessary measures to reduce potential flooding and associated disasters.
Kebbi, Niger, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Cross River, Rivers, and Bayelsa are among the impacted states.