The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency has ordered residents in flood-prone regions to evacuate immediately due to heavy rains and rising water levels along river banks.

The warning follows a severe flood that destroyed over 200 dwellings in Sabon-Gari and Zaria Local Government Areas on Monday.

Speaking to journalists in his office, the Agency’s Executive Secretary, Usman Mazadu, lamented that the flood incident could have been avoided if residents had followed the agency’s and NIMET’s warnings to evacuate flood-prone areas to safer areas until after the rainy season.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency predicted several months ago that at least seven local government areas in Kaduna State would flood as the rainy season intensified, and it also advised those living in flood-prone areas and farmers to relocate to safer areas or rotate their crops to higher ground.
However, despite projections and warnings, several residents neglected to flee, resulting in the

Following the disaster, Usman Mazadu, Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, stated that the state government has taken steps to alleviate the effects of the flood, such as desilting drainages and undertaking sensitization efforts.

While acknowledging the residents’ help in ensuring their safety, The KADSEMA director urged everyone, particularly farmers, to take use of alternate farmland supplied by the state government and shift to safer locations.

He also identified three major drivers to flooding: insufficient drainage, garbage dumping, and constructions built on waterways.
With the anticipation of a prolonged rainy season, as well as the Sabon-Gari and Zaria flood occurrences, KADSEMA emphasized the necessity of being proactive.