Home NEWS Rain Wreaks Havoc In Makurdi; Submerges Radio Station, University Community, Others

Rain Wreaks Havoc In Makurdi; Submerges Radio Station, University Community, Others

floodSaturday night heavy downpour in Makurdi had submerged Benue Radiot Station, university community, Wurulum market and six other communities in Benue state.
The State Commissioners for Land, Survey and Solid Minerals, Mr Bernard Unenge, and Water Resources and Environment, Mr Joseph Utsev who went round to assess the situation today, Sunday, said that the Transmission House of Radio Benue, Wurukum Market, and Low Level were submerged as a result of the downpour.
Other communities affected were Welfare Quarters, Benue State University community, New Kanshio village, Rice Mill Wadata as well as Idye and Achusa villages.
The commissioners said that the ministries needed adequate funds to mitigate the situation, and that the disaster was caused by blocked drainages in some areas.
They called on the Federal Government to include Benue state among the states to benefit from the N1.6 billion ecological intervention funds for states affected by flood disasters.
The commissioners said that the state has not received any ecological assistance from the Federal Government since 2013.
“Benue Government is looking for ways in which River Benue can be dredged. This is because by dredging the river, majority of the water can be accommodated to prevent future overflow.
“The ongoing research so far, showed that the preliminary study will cost about N8 billion while the main project will gulp about N300 billion.
“This is where we need Federal Government financial intervention to execute the project, since the funds are much.”
They said that the dredging would also encourage economic activities to be serviced by the state’s Cargo Airport.
The commissioners said that the government would immediately relocate the traders at the Wurukum Market to the International Market, adding that government is ready to provide additional land for the traders in case the International Market was not sufficient.
The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Boniface Ortese told NAN during the inspection of the affected areas that proactive measures have been put in place to address the situation.
He said that all relevant authorities in the country were communicated, adding that the agency would soon open the IDPs camp at North Bank.
Several households, property and electrical polls were destroyed in the state capital.
No fewer than 4,000 houses were submerged in the 2012 flooding which also destroyed property worth millions of naira. NAN[myad]