Last Updated on 21 July 2024 by Naijadazz
In July 2024, a flood swept through four communities in Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State, leaving 1,600 people homeless. Affected villages were Dantudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu, and Tsitse. It was caused by the heavy rain that occurred on the 17th of July, 2024, displacing the people and further destroying large farmland, thus counting to many losses of livestock.
The flood affected these communities in varying degrees: 62 houses and 71 households in Dantudu, 33 houses and 48 households in Balakozo, and 38 houses and 52 households in Gidan Tudu. Tsitse town was worst hit by the flood, as about 68 houses and 89 households were affected.
This latest flood forms part of periodic trends in heavy flood events in the country. For example, in 2020, the general overview of flood impacts in the Eastern Senatorial Zone of Sokoto State alone showed far-reaching destruction across eight Local Government Areas. According to this report, about 30,912 households were affected, and 697.70 square kilometers of farmland were submerged; 3,825 houses were destroyed, with 343 animals affected, and, sadly, eight lives lost.
Sokoto State has over the years been hit hard by floods. In 2012, floods affected many villages, among them Tsitse and Karangiya in Gada local government and Giyawa and Goronyo villages of Goronyo local government. The state government then allocated 47 million Naira to be given to flood victims.
As recent as 2022, the tragic event occurred at Kadadi village, Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State, where two persons were reported dead over the heavy rainfall and consequent flood. The flood further destroyed large acres of farmland, valued at millions of Naira.
In a region like the Sokoto-Rima River Basin, which is intermittently hit by these flood events, one easily gets the impression of the communities’ vulnerability. One of the geospatial mapping studies for the flood risk areas in this region identifies a number of natural factors contributing to flooding: soil type, precipitation patterns, land-use practices, and topographical slope.
The frequency and intensity of such events will remain a constant challenge to the communities in such flood-prone areas as Sokoto State if Nigeria remains the focus of a climate change and increased rainfall, obviously projected to surge in the near future. It was just recently that over 1,600 people were displaced at Gada Local Government Area, a glimpse into the dire need for improved strategies and infrastructure in managing floods to safeguard such vulnerable populations.
