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Floods

Devastating Flood in Mokwa, Niger State, Attributed to Poor Infrastructure and Human Activities

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Nigeria's Managing Director of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Aliyu Abdulhameed, attributed the devastating flood in Mokwa, Niger State, to poor infrastructure of the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) and human activities. The flood led to the loss of lives, destruction of farmland, and displacement of residents. Abdulhameed explained that the railway embankment in the area, constructed between 2018 and 2019, blocked drainage systems that allowed water to flow freely into the River Niger, leading to the accumulation of water upstream.

Key Takeaways:

  • The poor infrastructure of the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) was identified as the primary cause of the devastating flood in Mokwa, Niger State.
  • The railway embankment, constructed between 2018 and 2019, blocked drainage systems that allowed water to flow freely into the River Niger, leading to the accumulation of water upstream.
  • Human activities, including settling on the dry riverbed, also contributed to the flood, which led to the loss of lives, destruction of farmland, and displacement of residents.
  • NIRSAL and the NRC have agreed to launch a nationwide investigation into railway constructions and their impact on natural waterways to prevent future occurrences.
  • The House of Representatives Committee on Hydrological Services and the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) has resolved to summon the Managing Director of the NRC and the Minister of Transportation to appear before it over their alleged role in the devastating flood.
  • The Committee has identified community awareness and engagement, improved forecasting and early warning systems, infrastructure maintenance and green solutions, and climate change adaptation as key areas to curb the perennial flood problem.

Statistics:

  • Since the reconstruction of the railway embankment in 2018-2019, the drainage systems have been completely blocked, leading to the accumulation of water upstream.
  • In 2023, the people in the Mokwa settlement have lost their farms due to the accumulation of water upstream, trapped behind the railway embankment.
  • The embankment itself lacks the necessary engineering integrity to withstand the mounting pressure, being constructed entirely of soil without any structural framework to reinforce it.

Sources:

  • The Managing Director of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Aliyu Abdulhameed.
  • The House of Representatives Committee on Hydrological Services and the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).
  • The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC).

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