Flood destroys farms in 24 communities in Niger State

As a result of the flood that damaged Mokwa Local Government Area of the state on September 19, farmlands have been destroyed in 24 communities in Niger State.

The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Inga, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Minna.

He said that farms in eight communities in Gbara, six in Muragi and 10 in Ja’agi were destroyed by the flood that occurred on September 19.

The director-general added that due to the proactive step of the agency, there was no life lost in the disaster.

“After the predicted flood warning by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, we at state level had to embarked on  awareness and sensitisation programmes to communities that are likely prone to flood.

“The people in these communities were advised to evacuate to higher ground and desist from water-based activities that will lead to loss of lives.

“Such step has gone a long way to reduce flood disaster to the barest minimum in the areas,” he said.

He commended the Federal Government for setting up a Presidential Committee on Flood Relief to build three resettlement sites in Mokwa Local Government Area for flood victims.

He added that the agency would continue to educate the people and communities located around riverine areas to embrace irrigation farming rather than depend on rainfall system to avoid destruction of crops.